1
as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
discordant tones coming from the poorly tuned instrument
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in noisy
making loud, confused, and usually unharmonious sounds
the discordant cries of gulls fighting over the fishing boat's castoffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a troubled, discordant family that would benefit from professional counseling
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in conflicting
not being in agreement or harmony
his views on the proper role of diet in maintaining good health are certainly discordant with most contemporary opinions on the subject
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discordant
Deliver Me from Nowhere focuses on Bruce Springsteen in the midst of a depressive episode, struggling to create something meaningful and finite, while suicidal ideation plays discordant sounds in his head.
—
Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Together the flavor is muddled, slightly discordant, but alone the Irish whiskey gets to sing, its apples and pears and slight malt and gentle touch a perfect foil to the zesty front palate of the lemon and the deep finish of the almonds.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
However, an investigation by The Bee this week found that Flora, 42, brings a history to the role that may be discordant with a party concerned with family values and fiscal conservatism.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
And the colors of the stone sometimes looked discordant—the quarries at Montjuïc had closed in 1957.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discordant
Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Together the flavor is muddled, slightly discordant, but alone the Irish whiskey gets to sing, its apples and pears and slight malt and gentle touch a perfect foil to the zesty front palate of the lemon and the deep finish of the almonds.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
However, an investigation by The Bee this week found that Flora, 42, brings a history to the role that may be discordant with a party concerned with family values and fiscal conservatism.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
And the colors of the stone sometimes looked discordant—the quarries at Montjuïc had closed in 1957.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discordant
Adjective
-
There’s a straight line between the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell and increasingly shrill threats to seize Greenland.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
-
With sports gambling legalized throughout much of the country and growing rapidly, the NCAA and the sports gambling industry should be hearing shrill alarm bells in this indictment and acting accordingly.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Less mature organizations remain noisy.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Minnesota State Patrol troopers used a powerful sound system first used by the military in Maple Grove, Minnesota, to communicate and disperse noisy protesters.—
Derek James,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some of the city's narrow streets fell victim to the aggressive snow totals, leaving residents with little wiggle room to get around it.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The agency’s aggressive tactics this past year – especially when agents make their presence known in public areas in or near an employer, such as a parking lot – have had a chilling effect on businesses in areas where ICE has been operating.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Wuthering Heights is a dark and gothic tale of destructive, obsessive, conflicting romance.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
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Lawyers representing the student argue that her First Amendment rights were wrongly infringed upon and that the previous court rulings relied on conflicting and overly broad precedents.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That album steered far clear of folkloric kitsch, preferring dissonant frequencies and minimalist arrangements.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
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The cast fragmented, with the Byers family and El trying to start over in California while Hopper languished in a tonally dissonant Soviet gulag, as though the Duffers didn’t realize that what people loved most about Stranger Things was its grounding in Hawkins.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Israel and the Lebanese militant group exchanged fire for over a year before reaching a ceasefire in November 2024.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed over the hardline clerical government's nuclear program and backing for militant groups across the region.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Andrademembreno’s attorney, Paul Rogers, argued that Berrios lied and pointed to multiple inconsistent statements to authorities and prosecutors and in her testimony.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Trump proved to be a vexing ideological lodestar—aggressively anti-intellectual in his attitudes and consistently inconsistent in his views.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Setting Discordant Personal Goals A 2023 study published in Current Psychology finds that partners’ inharmonious goals can have detrimental effects on relationships.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
29 Mar. 2024
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For sixteen hours a week, Valentine hopes to share some melody in a place that, for some, can feel inharmonious.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
24 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Discordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discordant. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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