1
as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
discordant tones coming from the poorly tuned instrument
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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
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3
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a troubled, discordant family that would benefit from professional counseling
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discordant
But dreams can easily turn into nightmares, and this particular lullaby is more than a little discordant.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 19 June 2025
Without musical harmony, society itself would become discordant.
—Jane Levere, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
The work’s third movement offers an intriguing pizzicato section, as well moments of discordant — though not somber — unease.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
Nelson’s guitar playing was alternately sweet and jarringly discordant.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for discordant
Philip Elliott, Time, 19 June 2025
Without musical harmony, society itself would become discordant.
—Jane Levere, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
The work’s third movement offers an intriguing pizzicato section, as well moments of discordant — though not somber — unease.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
Nelson’s guitar playing was alternately sweet and jarringly discordant.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for discordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discordant
Adjective
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There’s also a large cast of supporting characters, many called upon to strike shrill notes of hostility.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 June 2025
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The warnings start coming in, first shrill alarms from our cellphones alerting us of a tornado warning, and then the stirring call of tornado-warning sirens outside of the windows.—
Colleen Hagerty,
Rolling Stone,
27 July 2025
Adjective
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Prior to and after the ruling, a small but noisy crowd spent those fateful hours chanting in support outside the PJ headquarters in San Telmo, a nearby Buenos Aires neighborhood, many of whom followed her back to Calle San José that frigid night.—
Agustino Fontevecchia,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Living in a downstairs apartment can be challenging, especially with noisy upstairs neighbors.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In addition to doing his job defensively, Garcia was aggressive in pushing up from his spot at left back and getting involved in the offensive attack.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
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In the interview, Mustafa describes Seeley as inattentive and overly aggressive, both with his words and even physically in otherwise friendly pillow fights.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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After a week of conflicting reports about whether a new contract had been offered, the pair were moved to the alumni section of WWE's website.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Aug. 2025
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Analysts toggle between dashboards, copy-paste data from spreadsheets and try to reconcile conflicting reports.—
Arunabh Dastidar,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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His new film, Highest 2 Lowest, which opened Friday, flips Akira Kurosawa’s mannered 1963 staple, High and Low, into a rowdy, topical, laugh-out-loud romp (starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky) that’s as beautifully jarring as a dissonant sax solo.—
Will Dukes,
Rolling Stone,
17 Aug. 2025
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Still, the moody, dissonant synths were transfixing.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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The Palestinian militant group also abducted more than 250 hostages.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
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Now, that was never actually true, and certainly on January 6th, when a lot of the members of these militant groups went to the Capitol and attacked police officers, injuring more than 100 of them, their love for law enforcement was not genuine.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Strong has had some nice moments during camp, and though inconsistent, there is enough potential there to not risk putting him on waivers.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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But this summer, the rain has been inconsistent and has often missed much of northern and central Arizona.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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 2 Sep. 2025.
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