What does "discordant" mean?
A thing which is not in accord or harmony with one or more other things.
Discordant
/dɪsˈkɔːdn̩t/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A thing which is not in accord or harmony with one or more other things.
- Grammar: discordant is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: dissonant, inharmonic, absonant, adversative.
- Useful contrasts: accordant, aesthetic standard, canorous.
- Usage evidence: The orchestra makes discordant noises when tuning up.
How to use "discordant"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "discordant" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "discordant" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "discordant" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "discordant" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dissonant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A thing which is not in accord or harmony with one or more other things. in-plural
"In the process of dismemberment it must often happen that the true individuality of a soil is lost, so that schemes of laboratory classification sometimes arbitrarily separate agricultural similars and unite agricultural discordants."
Adjective
- 1 Not in accord or harmony; conflicting, incompatible.
"For it is poſſible long ſtudy may encreaſe, and confirm erroneous Sentences: and vvhere men build on falſe grounds, the more they build, the greater is the ruine: and of thoſe that ſtudy, and obſerve vvith equall time, and diligence, the reaſons and reſolutions are, and muſt remain diſcordant: […]"
- 2 Not in accord or harmony; conflicting, incompatible.; Of people: disagreeing with each other; dissenting, quarrelsome.
"Rumour is a pipe, / Blovvne by ſurmizes, Iealouſies[,] coniectures, / And of ſo eaſie, and ſo plaine a ſtop, / That the blunt monſter, vvith vncounted heads, / The ſtill diſcordant vvau'ring multitude, / Can play vpon it."
- 3 Not in accord or harmony; conflicting, incompatible.; Of sounds: harsh, jarring; specifically (music), of musical notes or tunes: not in harmony; dissonant, inharmonious. also, figuratively
"[N]o other kind of liuing beaſtes both behold the fayrenes and the bewtie of the wordle^([sic – meaning worlde]), or is moued with anny reſpect of ſauours, but only for the diuerſity of meates, nother perceaueth the concordaunt and diſcordante diſtaunces of ſoundes, and tunes […]"
- 4 Of a rock formation or other land feature, or its alignment: cutting across or transverse to neighbouring features. physical
"Dikes may be discordant to country rock if they intrude at a high angle to the bedding."
- 5 Of a rock formation or other land feature, or its alignment: cutting across or transverse to neighbouring features.; Of a coastline: having bands of different types of rock running transversely to the coast, leading to the formation of alternating bays and headlands. physical
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Of two similar subjects, especially twins: differing in some characteristic.
- 7 Ellipsis of serodiscordant (“of a couple: with one partner HIV positive and the other HIV negative”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 8 Of figures, etc.: having opposite signs (for example, positive and negative).
Adjective
- 1 not in agreement or harmony wordnet
- 2 lacking in harmony wordnet
Example
"The orchestra makes discordant noises when tuning up."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "discordant"?
Common synonyms include: dissonant, inharmonic, absonant, adversative, adverse, adversive.
How do you use "discordant" in a sentence?
The orchestra makes discordant noises when tuning up.
How do you pronounce "discordant"?
Pronounced /dɪsˈkɔːdn̩t/.
Etymology
From Late Middle English discordaunt (“(adjective) not in accord or harmony; dissonant; (noun) element not in accord or harmony”), from Anglo-Norman descorda(u)nt, discorda(u)nt, Middle French descordant, discordant, and Old French descordant, discordant (“of people: quarrelsome; of things: in disagreement, at variance”) (modern French discordant), an adjective use of the present participle of descorder, discorder (“to fail to agree or harmonize, clash, disagree, discord”), from Latin discordāre, the present active infinitive of discordō (“to disagree, quarrel with”), from discors (“discordant, different, inharmonious”) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Discors is derived from dis- (“prefix meaning ‘apart, in two’”) + cor (“heart; (figurative) mind; soul”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr (“heart”)). By surface analysis, discord (noun) + -ant (suffix forming adjectives from nouns with the sense ‘exhibiting [the condition or process described by the noun]’).