Dissonantly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner characterized by unpleasant or clashing sounds that lack harmony
2. Expressed by harsh or jarring tones that create a sense of auditory conflict
3. Performed or occurring with a lack of musical harmony, producing a rough or unsettling effect

Etymology: "Dissonantly" is simply the adverb of "dissonant," formed by adding the suffix "-ly" to that adjective. The suffix itself has a long pedigree: it traces back through Middle English and Old English "-lice" to a Proto-Germanic form "-līkaz," which meant something like "having the body or form of," so that a word such as "lovely" originally described a thing with the look of something. Over the centuries the suffix lost its literal sense and became a general marker that turns an adjective into a manner adverb. The base word "dissonant" is English, built from the Latin prefix "dis-" meaning "apart" or "away," together with the root "sonant" from the Latin verb "sonare," to sound. The literal sense is therefore "sounding apart," which gives a clear picture of the clash that the modern adverb describes. The adverb follows the same route: "dissonantly" means "in a way that sounds apart," or in a clashing manner.

Synonyms: discordantly, inharmoniously, clashingly, conflictively, jarringly

Antonyms: harmoniously, concordantly, pleasantly, melodiously, agreeably