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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 discordant
The film has a way of connecting discordant wavelengths — past and future, memory and experience, reality and fiction — that's as existentially haunting as anything in recent genre history.
—
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
What happened to me was a discordant event in my life.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for discordant
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
What happened to me was a discordant event in my life.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for discordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discordant
Adjective
-
And each dares to honor the humanity in characters often reduced to predators and prey by one faction, shrill social justice warriors and brave free thinkers by another.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In turn, the tone has changed around Newcastle these past few days; less shrill, less edgy, less perilous.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Huang says his team was surprised to find visual cues can actually help people detect sounds in noisy environments like crowded spaces or busy streets.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
There are some tantalizing hints, but the data are just too noisy to draw any firm conclusions.—
Tim Folger,
Scientific American,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Family questions police response Sye's other sister told CBS New Baltimore that the officers were too aggressive in their response.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Your 6th House of Health tightens under pressure as the unconscious Moon squares aggressive Mars, presently in your 3rd House of Dialogue, so timing and tone carry extra weight.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
After conflicting accounts emerged, Jackson’s son Yusef issued a statement Monday saying the civil rights icon and his Rainbow PUSH Coalition had begun but not completed an endorsement process before Jackson’s death last month.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The most likely outcome is simply more litigation and more conflicting decisions, including over whether former NBA players may one day join former G Leaguers and European professionals on college courts.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Brooklyn psych-folk artist’s 2025 debut, newly reissued by AD 93, is dissonant, ghostly, and otherworldly, summoning complex emotions with sparse tools.—
Vrinda Jagota,
Pitchfork,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The contrast of the narrative established by the plates is comparable to jazz music, with its rhythm and repetition broken up by unexpected and sometimes dissonant improvisations, the Art Institute said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Various reform and feminist movements were pushing the regime to soften its militant foreign policy, its oppressive dress codes, and its censorship of civil society.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
And in Lebanon, Israeli strikes targeting the militant Hezbollah group, an Iranian ally, have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Beyond detention, the shutdown has had inconsistent impacts on DHS oversight more broadly, lawmakers and immigration lawyers said in interviews.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, prosecutors have pointed to sanctions policy and national security concerns — arguments the defense calls both insufficient and inconsistent.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
