discord 1 of 2

discord

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verb

as in to conflict
to be out of harmony or agreement usually noticeably the evangelist's lavish lifestyle discords with his professed religious beliefs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun discord contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of discord are conflict, contention, dissension, strife, and variance. While all these words 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

When can conflict be used instead of discord?

The words conflict and discord can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When is it sensible to use contention instead of discord?

The meanings of contention and discord largely overlap; however, contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

several points of contention about the new zoning law

When would dissension be a good substitute for discord?

In some situations, the words dissension and discord are roughly equivalent. However, dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

religious dissension threatened to split the colony

When could strife be used to replace discord?

While the synonyms strife and discord are close in meaning, 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

When is variance a more appropriate choice than discord?

Although the words variance and discord have much in common, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discord
Noun
Brunson agreed that much of the discord has unfolded over just the last six months. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025 Kirk was one of the slate of Republicans who called for more transparency around the Jeffrey Epstein files in a rare moment of discord within the party. Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 However, the pair have had a history of discord. Erica Marrison, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025 When a mother tree is felled, the survival rate of many of its seedlings may be drastically reduced, a process not unlike the reciprocal feedback loop of Yggdrasill, whose deterioration in response to discord in the nine realms spells cosmic collapse. Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discord
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discord
Noun
  • The clash among the neighborhoods mirrored his internal strife over his biracial identity.
    Jazmine Hughes, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2025
  • From Gaza to Myanmar and Sudan, communities around the globe continue to suffer the consequences of war, civil strife and sectarian violence.
    Christopher P. Davey, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The movie flattening Carrie into someone downtrodden and fragile, rather than standoffish and conflicted, makes the whole resolution feel a little too clean.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
  • This left the poster feeling conflicted.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Several of her cabinet picks have close ties to Taiwan, risking friction with Beijing, Japan’s top trading partner.
    Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
  • A lot of that deliberate friction comes from the characterization of Linda herself, who compulsively makes her problems everyone else’s.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Blagoja Milevski’s side managed to frustrate the Red Devils when these countries clashed back in June, striking in the 86th minute to secure a 1-1 home draw.
    Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The actor’s hope then was to work with Filho sooner rather than later, but their schedules kept clashing.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The sport of off-roading suffers from a fundamental discordance: The desire to get out into nature and the irreparable harm inherent in the process of off-roading.
    Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 25 July 2025
  • Many of the tunes including sprawling intros and jam sessions, all melded together with discordance, reverb and instrumental solos.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • In her autobiography, Mabel Dodge laid the blame for her schism with Stein firmly on one person.
    Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The Chiles case shines a spotlight on a growing schism in the LGBT base between gender-critical gays and their transgender counterparts.
    Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • From migrants and colonizers to gossip and war, Emily Wilson examines The Aeneid and its relevance to the modern world.
    tumblr.com, tumblr.com, 11 Oct. 2025
  • But our flights had been canceled amid rocket fire and regional escalation, fallout from Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza and its war with Iran.
    Reem Kassis, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The discordancy is so intriguing — like learning that Katharine Graham went to nude encounter sessions at Esalen, or Alan Greenspan was once in a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band.
    New York Times, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021

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Cite this Entry

“Discord.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discord. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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