Disharmonize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a lack of harmony or agreement; to disrupt musical consonance or a pleasing arrangement; to create discord or clash among elements
2. To produce dissonance or imbalance in sound or relationships; to disturb the smooth coordination or unity of parts; to introduce conflicting or incompatible elements
3. To alter a system or composition so that it loses harmonious qualities; to generate unpleasant or jarring effects in music or interaction; to upset the natural or intended order of components

Etymology: "Disharmonize" is a plain compound: the prefix "dis-", meaning "apart" or "reversal," attached to "harmonize." The prefix comes from Latin "dis-," which in English usually either reverses a action or removes a quality, so "disharmonize" means to undo or spoil harmony rather than to create it. The base verb carries the older history. "Harmonize" descends from the Greek "harmonia," a word for joining or fitting together, which the Greeks used for both the fitting of wooden planks and the tuning of musical intervals. English took the idea of blending parts into a pleasing whole and applied it to music, then to people, opinions and colours. Adding "dis-" simply reverses that sense, so the word describes two or more things falling out of agreement with one another.

Synonyms: disrupt, conflict, clash, disaccord, discord

Antonyms: harmonize, coordinate, agree, concord, unify