Disharmonious

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /dɪshɑːˈməʊni.əs/

Definitions

1. Lacking harmony or agreement in sound and characterized by conflict among elements or ideas, which leads to a chaotic and disjointed quality
2. Exhibiting an absence of harmony or unity, creating a sense of discord both musically and in broader contexts where elements clash
3. Producing a harsh combination of sounds that clash rather than blend together

Etymology: "Disharmonious" is a plain formation: the prefix "dis-", meaning apart or asunder, attached to "harmonious", which describes things fitting together in pleasing accord. The prefix comes from Latin "dis-", which English picked up through Old French "des-", and the adjective "harmonious" traces back to the Greek "harmonia", meaning a joining or fitting together, originally of things like the joints of a carpenter's work before it came to mean musical concord. The combination is what gives the word its sense. Where "harmonious" describes sounds or people blending agreeably, "disharmonious" describes the opposite: notes that clash, or a group whose members pull against one another. The prefix does the negating work that "un-" would do in "unharmonious", and the two forms have long been used side by side.

Synonyms: discordant, inharmonious, conflicting

Antonyms: harmonious, concordant, agreeable