discord

¹dis·cord

noun \ˈdis-ˌkȯrd\

Definition of DISCORD

1

a : lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things, or ideas) b : active quarreling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or factions : strife

2

a (1) : a combination of musical sounds that strikes the ear harshly (2) : dissonance b : a harsh or unpleasant sound

Examples of DISCORD

1. The city has long been known as a scene of racial intolerance and discord.
2. The song ends on a discord.

Origin of DISCORD

Middle English descorde, discord, from Anglo-French descorde, from Latin discordia, from discord-, discors

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to DISCORD

Synonyms: conflict, disaccord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dissension (also dissention), dissent, dissidence, dissonance, disunion, disunity, division, friction, infighting, inharmony, schism, strife, variance, war, warfare

Antonyms: accord, agreement, concord, concordance, harmony, peace

Related Words: clash, collision, competition, contention; altercation, argument, bicker, brawl, debate, disagreement, dispute, divide, fissure; falling-out, fight, hassle, jar, miff, mix-up, quarrel, row, run-in, scrap, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle; incompatibility, incongruence, incongruity, incongruousness, inconsistence, inconsistency, inconsonance, inharmoniousness; animosity, antagonism, antipathy, cold war, enmity, hostility, ill will, rancor

Near Antonyms: concurrence, cooperation

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Synonym Discussion of DISCORD

discord, strife, conflict, contention, dissension, variance mean a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony. discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism <a political party long racked by discord>. strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved <during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife>. conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires <the conflict of freedom and responsibility>. contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy <several points of contention about the new zoning law>. dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions <religious dissension threatened to split the colony>. variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest <cultural variances that work against a national identity>.

Rhymes with DISCORD

aboard, accord, afford, award, backboard, backsword, bargeboard, baseboard, billboard, blackboard, boxboard, breadboard, broadsword, buckboard, cardboard, chalkboard, chessboard, chipboard, clapboard, clipboard, concord, corkboard, dashboard, draft board, duckboard, face cord, fjord, flashboard, floorboard, footboard, freeboard, greensward, hardboard, headboard, inboard, keyboard, kickboard, landlord, lapboard, leeboard, matchboard, moldboard, nerve cord, onboard, on board, outboard, packboard, pasteboard, patchboard, patch cord, Peg-Board, pressboard, punchboard, rearward, record, reward, sailboard, scoreboard, seaboard, shipboard, sideboard, signboard, skateboard, slumlord, smallsword, snowboard, soundboard, splashboard, springboard, surfboard, switchboard, tailboard, tote board, untoward, wakeboard, wallboard, warlord, washboard, whiteboard, whipcord, word-hoard