discordance

[ dis-kawr-dns ]

noun

1. a discordant state; disagreement; discord.
2. an instance of this.
3. dissonance.
4. Geology. lack of parallelism between adjacent strata, as in an angular unconformity.
5. (in genetic studies) the degree of dissimilarity in a pair of twins with respect to the presence or absence of a disease or trait.

Word History and Origins

Origin of discordance¹

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French discordaunce, descordance; discord, -ance

Example Sentences

This high-low discordance often is seen in tropical medicine.

From The Daily Beast

On the other hand, discordance between the clocks in DNA and those in rocks can also be the source of new predictions.

From The Daily Beast

He did not understand the deep underlying dissent that made a cruel discordance in his desire for her happiness.

From Project Gutenberg

Elsewhere, we feel, though we cannot explain it to ourselves, a certain discordance between the race and the soil.

From Project Gutenberg

The mountain rarely gives unity of country; far more frequently, duality, discordance, actual diversity.

From Project Gutenberg

But a further difficulty arises from the discordance of the results of different experiments.

From Project Gutenberg

Such irreconcilable discordance in the primary elements of their character forbids the thought of their amalgamation.

From Project Gutenberg