1. in a manner that lacks a tonal center or key; without following traditional harmonic structure
Usage: music

Examples

• The composer wrote the piece atonally, avoiding any sense of a home key.
• The orchestra performed the modern work atonally, creating an unsettling effect.
• She sang atonally, deliberately avoiding traditional melodic patterns.
• The experimental music was composed atonally to challenge conventional listening.
• The piece progressed atonally through dissonant harmonies.
• He played the piano atonally, rejecting classical tonal structures.