Dissonance is harsh, inharmonious noise—cacophony. It can also refer to stark disagreement or lack of consistency. ... In psychology, the term cognitive dissonance refers to the unease a person feels when they have two or more contradictory or incompatible beliefs. An adjective form of dissonance is dissonant.

What does dissonance mean?

1a : lack of agreement the dissonance between the truth and what people want to believe especially : inconsistency between the beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's beliefs — compare cognitive dissonance.

What is an example of dissonance?

A baby crying, a person screaming and an alarm going off are all common examples of dissonance. These sounds are annoying, disruptive or put a listener on edge. Another useful reference is music, where dissonance is also a key concept.