unmusical
gb/ʌnməsɪkəl/ us/ʌnməsɪkəl/
C1
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
adjective
C1
property
1
lacking musical ability or sense
not good at music; not able to sing or play well
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] is unmusical; an unmusical [person/ear]
Erreur fréquente :
Don’t use this to mean “not related to music” (use non-musical for that).
Synonymes
tone-deaf (More specific: unable to recognize or sing correct pitch.)
|
musically untalented (More explicit and neutral; focuses on lack of skill.)
Antonymes
musical (Having musical ability or sensitivity.)
Collocations
an unmusical person
|an unmusical child
|unmusical students
|an unmusical ear
|deeply unmusical
|completely unmusical
|rather unmusical
|feel unmusical
Thèmes
music
|abilities
|education
Exemples
- He loves going to concerts, but he’s completely unmusical and can’t carry a tune.
- She describes herself as unmusical, so she avoids karaoke.
- I’m fairly unmusical, but I can keep a basic rhythm on the drums.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I am unmusical, so I do not sing.
- He is unmusical but he likes music.
adjective
C1
property
2
not pleasant or melodious
not nice to listen to
Schéma d’usage :
an unmusical [sound/voice/noise]
Erreur fréquente :
When describing a sound, unmusical means “not pleasant,” not simply “not music.”
Synonymes
discordant (Emphasizes clashing sounds, especially in music-like contexts.)
|
grating (Emphasizes an irritating effect on the listener.)
|
harsh (General word for unpleasant sound; not necessarily music-related.)
Antonymes
melodious (Pleasantly musical and smooth-sounding.)
|
harmonious (Pleasing because sounds fit well together.)
Collocations
an unmusical sound
|an unmusical voice
|unmusical noises
|unmusical clatter
|unmusical laughter
|unmusical squeak
|unmusical rhythm
Thèmes
music
|sounds
|communication
Exemples
- The old door made an unmusical screech as it opened.
- His unmusical singing drew laughs from the back row.
- The recording is full of unmusical clangs and background noise.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The noise was unmusical and loud.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
unmusical
API
GB/ʌnməsɪkəl/
US/ʌnməsɪkəl/
Syllabes et accentuation
un - music - al (3 syllabes)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: unmusical
- Comparative: unmusicaler
- Superlative: unmusicalest
Expressions
an unmusical ear
1/ən ʌnməsɪkəl ˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
poor sense of pitch
not able to hear if music is in tune
Exemples
- I have an unmusical ear, so I can’t tell when a guitar is slightly out of tune.
- He admits he has an unmusical ear, which makes choir practice stressful.
- With an unmusical ear, she struggled to match the notes the teacher played.