# cognitive dissonance

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistencies between one's beliefs and one's actions or other beliefs.

## Etymology
Coined by American psychologist Leon Festinger. Dissonance was chosen to avoid the logical connotations of inconsistency.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cognitive-dissonance