discordant

[dis-kawr-dnt]

adjective

1. being at variance; disagreeing; incongruous.

   discordant opinions.

2. disagreeable to the ear; dissonant; harsh.

3. Geology.,  (of strata) structurally unconformable.

discordant

/ dɪsˈkɔːdənt /

adjective

1. at variance; disagreeing

2. harsh in sound; inharmonious

Other Word Forms

• discordantly adverb
• nondiscordant adjective
• undiscordant adjective
• undiscordantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of discordant¹

1250–1300; Middle English discordaunt < Anglo-French < Latin discordant- (stem of discordāns ), present participle of discordāre. See discord, -ant

Example Sentences

But how can harmony work in such a discordant world?

From BBC

But later that evening, the "nightly orchestra" of nearby drones buzzing at discordant pitches begins.

From BBC

When the gags arrive, they’re clumsy and desperate: a discordant vomit explosion, some shenanigans at a court house.

From Los Angeles Times

Over a pleasantly discordant score of dreamy electronic chords and twanging banjos, Matthew finds pencil marks charting his growth as a child while these parents fuss over their own new baby.

From Los Angeles Times

The inauguration falling on Martin Luther King Day was a cruel irony, a discordant note struck on a day meant to honor justice, equality, and freedom.

From Salon

Related Words

• cacophonous 
• clashing www.thesaurus.com
• dissonant 
• divergent 
• jarring 
• strident