antimusical
|an-ti-mu-si-cal|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈmju.zɪ.kəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈmjuː.zɪ.kəl/
against music / not musical
Etymology
'antimusical' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with 'musical' (from 'music' + suffix '-al'), formed in modern English to mean 'against or not musical'.
'music' comes from Greek 'mousikē' via Latin 'musica' and Old French 'musique' into Middle English 'musike' and modern English 'music'; the productive English prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) was attached to form 'antimusical' in modern usage.
Initially the components meant 'against' + 'music', and over time the compound has been used both for active opposition to music and to describe lack of musical quality or sense; the primary senses remain 'against music' and 'not musical'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person or movement that is opposed to music or musical practices.
He was branded an antimusical by his colleagues after he campaigned to cancel the town's music festival.
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Adjective 1
hostile to or opposed to music; showing dislike or opposition toward musical expression.
The movement adopted an antimusical stance, arguing that public funding for concerts was wasteful.
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Adjective 2
lacking musical qualities or a sense of musicality; unmusical or not melodious.
Some critics called the performance antimusical because it ignored melody and conventional harmony.
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Last updated: 2025/09/04 20:26