discrepancy
Americannoun
plural
discrepancies-
the state or quality of being discrepant or in disagreement, as by displaying an unexpected or unacceptable difference; inconsistency.
The discrepancy between the evidence and his account of what happened led to his arrest.
- Synonyms:
- variance, contrariety, discordance, disagreement, incongruity
-
an instance of difference or inconsistency.
There are certain discrepancies between the two versions of the story.
- Synonyms:
- variation
noun
Usage
Discrepancy is sometimes wrongly used where disparity is meant. A discrepancy exists between things which ought to be the same; it can be small but is usually significant. A disparity is a large difference between measurable things such as age, rank, or wages
Related Words
See difference.
Etymology
Origin of discrepancy
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin discrepantia, from discrepant- (stem of discrepāns “sounding discordant”; discrepant ) + -ia -y 3 ( def. )
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.
But the police found discrepancies in his story: He claimed to have arrived after Ashaal, but local surveillance video showed him waiting for Ashaal, then trailing him in another vehicle when Ashaal drove off.
From Los Angeles Times
Private-credit funds use nonuniform methodologies to classify loans, leading to discrepancies and investor concerns about diversification.
Abdi thinks there is still a "discrepancy" between the investment in grassroots music infrastructure and people in the north and south.
From BBC
Explaining this discrepancy is now an important open question for researchers.
From Science Daily
Prosecutors said that testimony may have contained discrepancies, opened a grand jury investigation in late 2025, and sent subpoenas in January.
From Barron's
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.
