discordance

noun

dis·​cor·​dance di-ˈskȯr-dᵊn(t)s How to pronounce discordance (audio)
1
: lack of agreement or harmony : the state or an instance of being discordant
2
music : dissonance

Examples of discordance in a Sentence

there was a real discordance between the tough guys that the actor played in the movies and the softy that he was in real life the jarring discordance coming from the garage where the band was rehearsing
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Unlike their countrymen in the contemporary tropicalia movement (Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes), the Minas Gerais musicians favored languid drift and golden melody over genre-busting and discordance, and Lo Borges is as good an album as the moment produced. Vulture Editors, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2024 The lengthy obituaries detailed my career accomplishments and deep ties to family and friends with the uncanny discordance of an AI bot. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 What a listener hears are syllabic cries and whispers, as well as groans and shrieks, enhanced with further discordance from a varying set of instruments. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023 Likewise, the relatively short program conducted by Fabien Gabel was a sheer sonic delight, an elegant evening untroubled by complexity, discordance, or anything beyond hints of dark emotions. Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 27 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for discordance 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of discordance was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near discordance

Cite this Entry

“Discordance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discordance. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

discordance

noun
dis·​cord·​ance
dis-ˈkȯrd-ᵊn(t)s
1
: the state or an instance of being discordant
2
: discordant sounds or noise
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!