disagreement
Americannoun
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the act, state, or fact of disagreeing.
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lack of agreement; diversity; unlikeness.
a disagreement of colors.
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difference of opinion; dissent.
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quarrel; dissension; argument.
noun
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refusal or failure to agree
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a failure to correspond
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an argument or dispute
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disagreement
First recorded in 1485–95; from Anglo-French, Middle French desagrement; equivalent to disagree + -ment
Explanation
A disagreement is a type of conflict, either between people or ideas. No it’s not! Yes it is! It’s an argument. If your opinion contradicts the facts, there's a disagreement. When ideas conflict, there's disagreement. If you want to go to an action movie, but your friend wants to go to a romantic comedy, that's a disagreement. Statements, opinions, and claims can also disagree. If I say my grandmother was a sweet woman, and you say she was a horrible person, that's disagreement. If the IRS finds a disagreement between your taxes and your real income, you could be in trouble.
Vocabulary lists containing disagreement
President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 1)
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Speaking and Listening - Introductory
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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.
When a leader consistently sidesteps tension and doesn’t model what it looks like to receive a hard truth, the team reads the signal: Disagreement is not safe here.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Disagreement over what cases should be reported to law enforcement was visible at an internal OpenAI meeting last summer, convened to review how earlier cases had been handled, according to some of the people.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Disagreement broke out between the parties in 2023, when Repsol claimed the company had failed to deliver liquified natural gas from its Calcasieu Pass project in Louisiana under a 20-year contract.
From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026
Disagreement over the border dates back more than a century, but tension increased early this year after a group of Cambodian women sang patriotic songs in a disputed temple.
From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025
Secondly, It extends no further than we can perceive their Agreement or Disagreement.
From An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 2 MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 3 and 4 by Locke, John
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.
