discordance

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   disagreement, inconsistency, or lack of harmony between people, ideas, or facts

   The report revealed a sharp discordance between the agency's promises and its actions.

2. 2
   noun

   a harsh or unpleasant combination of sounds; dissonance

   The deliberate discordance in the final chord unsettled the audience.

Borrowed from Middle French discordance, based on Latin discordare, 'to disagree,' from discors, 'of different hearts,' combining dis-, 'apart,' and cor, 'heart.' The musical sense applies the same lack of agreement to sounds.

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