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
Like This Moore drew powerful parallels between Lincoln University’s founding in 1854, during a period of intense national discord, and today’s challenges. Melissa Noel, Essence, 5 May 2025 Focus on broadening your outlook, skills and pursuits and pouring your energy into actions rather than discord. Eugenia Last, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2025 Image In the absence of more substantive meetings, Mr. Trump’s every handshake and conversation was scrutinized for political significance at a moment of trans-Atlantic discord. David E. Sanger, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025 That was as close as Mrs. Obama got to directly addressing the rumors of marital discord. Claire Moses, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discord
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discord
Noun
  • The fight over Trump’s deportation policy is a major source of strife.
    Mike Lillis, The Hill, 12 May 2025
  • After years of strife for the California film and television industry, Gov. Gavin Newsom in October proposed a significant increase to the overall cap on incentives, more than doubling it from $330 million to $750M annually.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 11 May 2025
Verb
  • The order accuses them of enforcing DEI standards that conflict with a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed affirmative action in university admissions.
    Jimmy Aguilar, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
  • Talbot is stressed between the conflicting politics claiming his conscience.
    Armond White, National Review, 7 May 2025
Noun
  • Ander Herrera was yet another player to have friction with Van Gaal at United (the manager once told him off for shooting — and scoring — with a first-time effort instead of taking a touch).
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 16 May 2025
  • Those friction points are the real roadmap to a better UX.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • In season 9, Singer clashed with her costar Carole Radziwill over politics.
    Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
  • The countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, and clashed many times.
    USA Today, USA Today, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • Editors’ Picks An editor at Fast Company, a magazine about business, technology and design, was among the first to notice the discordance.
    Adeel Hassan, New York Times, 4 May 2025
  • Sachs plays on the discordance between his naturalistic approach and the theatricality of the project with meta elements like a quick glimpse of the crew or posed shots of the actors occasionally punctuating the conversation, accompanied by blasts of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The Catholic Church faces similar challenges but so far has been able to avoid schisms by limiting the actual changes being made.
    Dennis Doyle, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
  • But as President Trump exerts near-total control over the Republican Party, and the country seems bitterly divided along partisan lines more than ever, the G.O.P. schism in Montana has attracted outsize attention.
    Will Warasila, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Noun
  • After months of escalating tariffs between the world’s two largest economies, the trade war between the U.S. and China is entering a new chapter – a steep reduction of their respective tariffs for 90 days as the two countries continue trade talk this week.
    Dian Zhang, USA Today, 15 May 2025
  • People are preparing for the thought that America might not be with us if this land war spreads, and Putin follows in the role of the Soviet Union and puts tanks in Czechoslovakia and just takes over.
    Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • The University needs—and does, in fact, tolerate—a degree of internal dissent; dissenters make the educational enterprise seem, in that romantic retrospect, legitimate.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
  • Advertisement Advertisement Only two of the court’s Justices—Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas—publicly noted their dissent.
    Nik Popli, Time, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Discord.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discord. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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