discord
Americannoun
-
lack of concord or harmony between persons or things.
marital discord.
- Synonyms:
- contention, argument, antagonism, controversy, struggle, conflict
-
disagreement; difference of opinion.
- Synonyms:
- contention, argument, antagonism, controversy, struggle, conflict
-
strife; dispute; war.
- Synonyms:
- contention, argument, antagonism, controversy, struggle, conflict
-
Music. an inharmonious combination of musical tones sounded together.
-
any confused or harsh noise; dissonance.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
lack of agreement of harmony; strife
-
harsh confused mingling of sounds
-
a combination of musical notes containing one or more dissonant intervals See dissonance concord
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discordsimple
-
discordssimple
-
have discordedperfect
-
has discordedperfect
-
am discordingprogressive
-
are discordingprogressive
-
is discordingprogressive
-
have been discordingperfect progressive
-
has been discordingperfect progressive
Past
-
discordedsimple
-
had discordedperfect
-
was discordingprogressive
-
were discordingprogressive
-
had been discordingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discord
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English noun descorde, discorde, from Anglo-French, Old French descort, descorde, from Latin discordia, derivative of discord-, stem of discors “discordant,” from dis- dis- 1 + cord-, stem of cors “heart”
Explanation
Discord is the strife and tension that arises when two sides disagree on something, like the high-pitched screaming of two kids fighting over the front seat of the car. Discord can be broken down into the prefix dis, meaning "different," and cord, which stems from an old word for "heart." So that leaves us with "different hearts." So if we're talking about music, discord means a lack of harmony — tones that clash so badly your ears bleed. But when there's discord between people, their hearts are in different places — which usually results in more than a few raised voices clashing disharmoniously.
Vocabulary lists containing discord
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Messages on Kalshi’s official forum on Discord, the social-media platform, suggest that the clarification was encouraged by traders who spotted the ambiguity and tried to profit from the undervalued Maduro contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
The court was told Phelan, and the two other men, known only as Mads and Rob, were members of a private server on Discord called 'Recovery4all' where they shared thoughts about mental health issues.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
In those early days, he was struck by how easily he could hop into the platform’s Discord channel and give feedback directly to Yan and other Hyperliquid team members.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Attorney for the District of Columbia and former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, has reportedly begun issuing sweeping subpoenas to tech giants like Reddit, X, Google, Discord and Meta.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
The evil goddess of Discord, Eris, was naturally not popular in Olympus, and when the gods gave a banquet they were apt to leave her out.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
