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Synonyms

discordance

American  
[dis-kawr-dns] / dɪsˈkɔr dns /

noun

  1. a discordant state; disagreement; discord.

  2. an instance of this.

  3. dissonance.

  4. Geology. lack of parallelism between adjacent strata, as in an angular unconformity.

  5. (in genetic studies) the degree of dissimilarity in a pair of twins with respect to the presence or absence of a disease or trait.


discordance British  
/ dɪsˈkɔːdəns /

noun

  1. geology an arrangement of rock strata in which the older underlying ones dip at a different angle from the younger overlying ones; unconformity

  2. lack of agreement or consonance

  3. variants of discord

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of discordance

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French discordaunce, descordance; see discord, -ance

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.

See Examples For:

Something that creates the tension of discordance, but that feels like there is a sense of some kind of completion, even if it is like a bit of a sub-chapter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

Testing for apoB rather than LDL-C could identify people who are at high risk due to this discordance.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024

Usually that discordance is taken to signal a psychological, rather than physical, issue.

From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2021

The beginning of the band’s double-drummer period was one such key evolution, with Karl Burns and Paul Hanley crashing into and around one another with deftness and discordance.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 25, 2020

I pounded my unease into the keys, hoping the discordance would drive him away, but he held on.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

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