The discord meaning is disagreement, tension or lack of harmony between people or groups. A family that argues at every dinner, a team split over a decision, two neighbors who no longer speak: all of these show discord.
The word has a second, musical sense. When notes are played together and sound harsh or unsettled, musicians may call that a discord. The word is also a product name these days, but this page is about the ordinary English noun and its older, wider sense.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Disagreement or friction; clashing soundsPart of speech
Noun (usually uncountable; countable in music)Pronunciation
DIS-kordWord forms
discordant (adjective), discordantly, discordanceOrigin
Latin discordia, from dis (apart) and cor, cordis (heart)Opposite
harmony, concord, accord, agreementRegister
Somewhat formal; common in news and writing
The discord meaning in three senses
To define discord quickly, this discord definition works: a state of not getting along. It covers more than one argument; it suggests ongoing friction. The senses are:
- Disagreement between people. Discord in a marriage, a political party, a board of directors or a group chat.
- A lack of harmony in music. Notes that clash, creating a tense or unpleasant sound. Musicians also call this dissonance.
- Harsh noise (literary). In older or poetic writing, a confused jumble of sounds.
Discord usually describes a mood within a group. Someone can feel it before anyone raises their voice.
Sow discord, marital discord and other pairings
The word has favorite partners, and learning them makes it sound natural:
- sow discord: to deliberately spread disagreement, like planting seeds of trouble
- marital discord or family discord: lasting tension at home
- political or social discord: division in a country or community
- a note of discord: one sign of disagreement in an otherwise friendly scene
- in discord with: not matching or not agreeing with something
The adjective discordant works for people, ideas and sounds: discordant voices, a discordant detail in an otherwise neat report.
Discord in everyday sentences
- The new seating plan caused discord in the office, since nobody wanted the desk by the printer.
- Money worries are a common source of discord between couples.
- One rude comment in the class group was enough to sow discord for a whole week.
- The band's closing song ends on a discord that never quite resolves.
- Despite some discord over the budget, the committee agreed on a final plan.
Your housemates keep leaving dishes in the sink. Nobody shouts, but everyone sighs, notes appear on the fridge, and the shared dinners stop.
That quiet, lasting friction is discord. It is less dramatic than a fight but still pulls the group apart.
A heart split in two: the origin
English got discord by way of Old French, which took it from Latin discordia, built from discors, meaning disagreeing. Its parts are dis, apart, and cor, heart. The image is of hearts pulling in different directions. The same heart root gives concord (hearts together) and accord, and it is distantly related to cordial.
In Greek myth there is a well known story called the apple of discord: a golden apple, thrown among goddesses by the goddess of strife, sparked a quarrel that led toward the Trojan War. That is why the phrase apple of discord still means a small thing that starts a big dispute.
Discord, conflict, dissonance: picking the right word
| Word | Best use |
|---|---|
| discord | ongoing disharmony within a group |
| conflict | an open clash, from a quarrel to a war |
| animosity | strong personal dislike or hostility |
| strife | bitter, often violent struggle |
| dissonance | clashing sounds or ideas; music and psychology |
The opposites are harmony, concord and accord. When a group settles its discord, you might speak of reconciliation or of reaching consensus.
Where you are likely to read it
Discord is a little bookish, so it shows up more in writing than in casual talk. News reports use it for divisions inside organizations and countries. Counselors and psychologists talk about family discord. Book reviews and history writing use it for rival factions. In speech, people more often say tension, falling out or bad blood.
English learners sometimes treat it as a verb (they discord), but that use is old and rare. Use it as a noun and pair it with verbs like cause, create, sow, spread or end. More useful vocabulary is waiting on our everyday words hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is discord in a relationship?
Between partners, discord is lasting tension, disagreement or unhappiness. People often speak of marital discord when a couple keeps clashing over money, chores or plans.
What does sow discord mean?
To sow discord is to stir up disagreement on purpose, often quietly, so that people turn against each other. The image comes from scattering seeds that later grow.
What is the opposite of discord?
The main opposites are harmony, concord and accord. In everyday speech, agreement or peace works too.
How do you pronounce discord?
Say DIS-kord, leaning on the DIS. The second part sounds like the word cord.
Is discord a verb?
In modern English it is almost always a noun. An old verb use meaning to disagree exists, but it sounds dated, so say disagree or clash instead.
What does discordant mean?
Discordant is the adjective. It describes sounds that clash, or people and ideas that do not agree, as in discordant opinions.