dissonance

He is a core part of their identity, which means they will change their beliefs and twist reality to justify his behavior and resolve the cognitive dissonance.

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2026

As if this wasn’t ominous enough, the latest BofA Securities fund-manager’s survey shows that Wall Street is, once again, experiencing severe cognitive dissonance: It is simultaneously worried about the market, but afraid to sell.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026

There might be a small touch of some discomfort or dissonance or awkwardness or absurdity or something.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

While it’s certainly possible, I go back to the cognitive dissonance thing.

From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026

This was the second time tonight she had been surprised by the stark dissonance between a face and a mind.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

The man who created “The Rite of Spring”—a ballet whose pounding dissonances and unconventional rhythms caused pandemonium at its 1913 Paris premiere—now insisted that the bolder the creative ambition, the tighter the frame must be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

George Lewis’s recent chamber and orchestral scores have been action-packed thrill rides, full of lovingly crafted dissonances and exciting collisions of rhythmic contour.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

The group’s albums were much admired for their mixture of classical and blues elements, along with screaming dissonances from Robin Trower’s guitar, a searing backdrop from Matthew Fisher’s organ and the terse precision of B.J.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2023

Everything about it, from the spare, enveloping details of Grant Major’s production design to the nerve-shredding dissonances of Jonny Greenwood’s score, directs our focus inward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2021

Music that contains no dissonances can tend to seem simplistic or boring.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones