Definition of "dissonance" []

• A harsh, disagreeable combination of sounds; discord. (noun)
• Lack of agreement, consistency, or harmony; conflict: "In Vietnam, reality fell away and dissonance between claim and fact filled the void” ( Michael Janeway). (noun)
• Music A combination of tones contextually considered to suggest unrelieved tension and require resolution. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The reason for this dissonance is the loophole larded corporate tax code here in America."
• "The biggest byproduct of this cognitive dissonance is our completely screwed up tax code which is everybody's preferred vehicle for enacting this or that social program which is ostensibly for lower income folks but the value of any "social program" related deduction correlates with one's tax rate."
• "But cognitive dissonance is a favorite pastime of people who preach about Evil."