antimusicality
|an-ti-mu-si-cal-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.mjuːzɪˈkæl.ɪ.ti/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪ.mjuːzɪˈkæl.ɪ.ti/
against or lacking musical quality
Etymology
'antimusicality' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') attached to 'musicality' (the quality of being musical).
'musicality' derives from 'musical' + the suffix '-ity'; 'musical' comes via Middle French/Latin from Latin 'musica' (from Greek 'mousikē'), and the modern formation 'antimusicality' is a 20th/21st-century English coinage combining 'anti-' with 'musicality'.
Initially components meant 'against' (anti-) and 'relating to music' (musical); combined, the modern noun has come to mean either a lack of musical quality or an oppositional attitude toward music.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the absence or lack of musicality; inability or unwillingness to perceive, produce, or appreciate music in a conventionally musical way.
His antimusicality made it difficult for him to follow the rhythm or appreciate melodic phrasing.
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Noun 2
a stance or attitude of opposition to music or to musical conventions; deliberate rejection of traditional musical elements.
Some avant-garde groups were criticized for an antimusicality that rejected melody and harmony outright.
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Last updated: 2025/11/08 04:07