Unstimmig

Unstimmig is an adjective used in several Germanic languages to describe discord, lack of harmony, or lack of agreement. Etymology traces to the prefix un- and the verb stimmen, meaning to tune or to agree; thus, unstimmig literally means not in tune or not harmonious. In music, unstimmig describes tones, chords, or melodies that do not correspond to the established key or tuning system, producing discordant sounds. It can refer to imperfect intonation, mistuned intervals, or a voice leading that clashes with the rest of a harmony. The term is often used in critical discussion of performances or in teaching to indicate how a passage should be corrected toward a stable key center. In tuning contexts, unstimmig contrasts with stimmig, or harmoniously in tune, and is influenced by temperament, instrument construction, and pitch accuracy.

In broader usage, unstimmig can be employed metaphorically to describe statements, policies, or ideas that are not coherent with one another or with evidence, i.e., incompatible or incongruous with a given framework. The word emphasizes a lack of alignment rather than mere disagreement.

Related terms include dissonant, discordant, inharmonious, and inconsistent. While the term is most commonly encountered in Germanic-language contexts, scholars and translators may render it as unharmonious or out of tune when conveying its musical sense in English-language texts.