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
The discord within the Republican Party of Wisconsin has reached a new level. Lawrence Andrea, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025 Trustees ‘feel their powers have been reduced’ At the center of the current discord, according to a source, is the fact that Tata Sons is supposed to receive prior approval from Tata Trusts for any major financial investments. Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025 To what was such a spasmodic discord owed? Julio Cortázar, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025 Disboard lists many public discord servers and many young coders use the site, contributing a different demographic of coders. Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discord
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discord
Noun
  • Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Things kick off with a bit of inter-family strife, involving a young predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi).
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The novel draws on the harrowing testimony of survivors and asks questions not only about the conflicting goals of justice, truth and reconciliation, but also about how one lives with the knowledge of crimes against humanity.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
  • He's clearly conflicted between wanting peace at home and not wanting to hurt his girlfriend’s parents.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • For the vast majority of learners, the most pressing questions are whether tuition is affordable, childcare is available, credits transfer without friction, and programs lead to real employment opportunities.
    Yolanda Watson Spiva, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
  • In Seasons 2 and 3, Eleven and Hopper experience some friction due to Hopper’s overprotective concern for Eleven’s safety; by Season 4, the characters operate in totally separate storylines and don’t share a scene until the last minutes of the season finale.
    Adam B. Vary, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • And with Mamdani, that role may clash with a government thousands of miles away.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • As a councilman, Calvo often clashed with Bovo over city services and emergency response.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 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
  • Even so, some observers see the schism as an opportunity to relitigate the relitigation.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike his isolated vote in 2006, the schism runs much deeper now.
    Frederic J. Frommer, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Just a few months ago, McKenna was weighing the two schools against each other, the Spartans finishing as runners-up in his historic recruiting war.
    Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • From the very first days of the First World War, the German Empire was looking for someone capable of sparking a revolution in Russia and forcing the country to withdraw from the war with Germany — so that the Germans could focus their forces on fighting the British and the French.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The Afrikaners later set up the apartheid system which segregated the races, prevented the Black majority from voting, and brutally clamped down on dissent.
    Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Sisi has since cracked down on dissent and civic freedoms.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discord.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discord. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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