discord
Americannoun
-
lack of concord or harmony between persons or things.
marital discord.
- Synonyms:
- contention, argument, antagonism, controversy, struggle, conflict
-
disagreement; difference of opinion.
- Synonyms:
- contention, argument, antagonism, controversy, struggle, conflict
-
strife; dispute; war.
- Synonyms:
- contention, argument, antagonism, controversy, struggle, conflict
-
Music. an inharmonious combination of musical tones sounded together.
-
any confused or harsh noise; dissonance.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
lack of agreement of harmony; strife
-
harsh confused mingling of sounds
-
a combination of musical notes containing one or more dissonant intervals See dissonance concord
verb
Other Word Forms
- undiscording adjective
Etymology
Origin of discord
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English noun descorde, discorde, from Anglo-French, Old French descort, descorde, from Latin discordia, derivative of discord-, stem of discors “discordant,” from dis- dis- 1 + cord-, stem of cors “heart”
Explanation
Discord is the strife and tension that arises when two sides disagree on something, like the high-pitched screaming of two kids fighting over the front seat of the car. Discord can be broken down into the prefix dis, meaning "different," and cord, which stems from an old word for "heart." So that leaves us with "different hearts." So if we're talking about music, discord means a lack of harmony — tones that clash so badly your ears bleed. But when there's discord between people, their hearts are in different places — which usually results in more than a few raised voices clashing disharmoniously.
Vocabulary lists containing discord
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not that there aren’t villains; indeed, as much as there is accord within the household, there is discord without.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
As this column has shown, blended families can fall apart when a parent dies, so you are not necessarily paranoid to be concerned about family discord over an inheritance.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026
Political discord and polarization in the U.S. means most brands will continue to avoid hot-button topics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
We eagerly drink in the discord because the stakes are illusory, even if the high-strung emotions turn out to be real.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
I held the two separate beliefs loosely in my mind and let their singing discord lull me into senselessness.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
