discordance: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Academic, Technical
Quick answer
What does “discordance” mean?
A state of disagreement or conflict.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A state of disagreement or conflict; lack of harmony.
A lack of agreement or consistency between things; specifically, in music, a harsh, clashing sound. In genetics/medicine, the presence of a trait in one individual of a pair (e.g., twins) but not the other.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling and usage are identical. The related adjective 'discordant' is more common than the noun in both varieties.
Connotations
Equally formal and specialist in both dialects.
Frequency
Low-frequency, learned word in both regions. More likely encountered in academic writing, music theory, or scientific literature than in everyday speech.
Grammar
How to Use “discordance” in a Sentence
discordance between X and Ydiscordance in [findings/data/opinions]discordance with [expectations/theory]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “discordance” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The findings discord with earlier theories.
- [Note: Very rare. 'Contradict' or 'conflict with' is preferred.]
American English
- The witness accounts discorded, complicating the investigation.
- [Note: Extremely rare. 'Conflicted' is standard.]
adverb
British English
- The instruments sounded discordantly.
- [Rare usage]
American English
- The two studies discordantly reported on the drug's efficacy.
- [Rare usage]
adjective
British English
- The discordant opinions within the committee led to a stalemate.
- The symphony featured a deliberately discordant section.
American English
- The discordant data forced a review of the hypothesis.
- Their views on the policy were fundamentally discordant.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Used in formal reports to describe conflicting data or strategic misalignment, e.g., 'a discordance between projected and actual revenues.'
Academic
Common. Used in various fields: in social sciences for cultural clashes, in sciences for inconsistent results, in music for dissonance.
Everyday
Very rare. Typically replaced by simpler terms like 'disagreement' or 'conflict'.
Technical
Specific. Key term in genetics (discordant twins), medicine (discordant test results), seismology, and music theory.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “discordance”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “discordance”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “discordance”
- Misspelling as 'dischordance'. Correct is 'discordance'.
- Using it in casual conversation where 'argument' or 'disagreement' would suffice, sounding overly formal.
- Incorrect preposition: 'discordance of' is less common than 'discordance between X and Y'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are related but differ in use. 'Discord' is a more general, countable noun for an instance of disagreement ('family discords'). 'Discordance' is an uncountable, more formal/abstract noun for the state or quality of being discordant, often used in technical contexts.
It is not recommended. Using 'discordance' in casual talk will sound overly formal or pretentious. Use 'disagreement', 'conflict', or 'clash' instead.
'Between' is the most common, used to link the two discordant elements: 'discordance between theory and practice'.
The adjective is 'discordant'. It is far more frequently used than the noun 'discordance'.
A state of disagreement or conflict.
Discordance is usually formal, academic, technical in register.
Discordance: in British English it is pronounced /dɪˈskɔː.dəns/, and in American English it is pronounced /dɪˈskɔːr.dəns/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[None directly with 'discordance'. Related: 'strike a discordant note']”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a DISCOrdant CORD. Imagine the wires in a sound system are tangled (the CORD), causing harsh, disagreeable noise at the DISCO.
Conceptual Metaphor
AGREEMENT IS HARMONY / DISAGREEMENT IS DISCORDANCE (a clashing of sounds).
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'discordance' a specific technical term?