Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DISACCORD

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connect today's word to others: What basic idea unites the words core, courage, cordial, cardiac, accord, and disaccord? Hearts. If we're in accord, we agree with each other, or we get along well; etymologically speaking, we're sharing one heart. And if we're in disaccord, we don't.  While we're talking about opposites, and getting along vs. not getting along, see if you can recall the opposite of amity, or friendly relations: it's e__ity, or hostile, unfriendly relations. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "DISACCORD" "Accord" literally means "a state of being of one heart." It's another word for "agreement, harmony, a state of getting along well." (So when you say "according to Bob" or "according to that email," it's as if you're saying "in a manner agreeing with Bob" or "in a manner in harmony with that email.") Disaccord, then, is a lack of agreement, a lack of harmony. It's disagreement: a state of disagreeing or of not getting along well. Pronunciation: DIS uh CORD Part of speech: Most often, it's a noun,    the uncountable kind:    "this disaccord," "such disaccord," "their disaccord," "no disaccord," etc. It can also be a verb:    "this disaccords with that." Other forms: Disaccorded, disaccording; disaccordant. If you want to, you can use "disaccordance" instead of "disaccord." Is it the same as "discord"? Almost! When we talk about discord, we're usually referring to an angrier situation, one that might erupt into an argument or into violence. And we most often talk about "sowing discord," but we don't use the phrase "sowing disaccord." Most importantly, the word "discord" is much more common, and more casual, than "disaccord." How to use it: This is a formal, serious word. Talk about the disaccord between or among people, or about someone's (or something's) disaccord with someone or something else. Or, say that someone or something    is at disaccord with someone or something else,     is in disaccord with someone or something else, or    falls into disaccord with someone or something else.   Often it's people who are in disaccord with each other. Things, too, can be in disaccord. Moods, attitudes, texts, sources, laws, arguments, ideas, principles, opinions, summaries, and conclusions can be in disaccord with each other--or with something loftier and more abstract, like with reason, common sense, or human nature. examples: She closes her ears to any opinion in disaccord with her own. "As any sacred book belongs to a particular age, it inevitably, in the course of time, falls into disaccord with later ideas on certain points. When this happens there are always some persons who, failing to discriminate between the local and transitory and the permanent, unjustly reject the book in toto; others, making a distinction, take it as a literary product, accept what they think valuable, and treat the rest as an imperfect product of the past."    —Crawford Howell Toy, Introduction to the History of Religions, 1924 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "disaccord" without saying "conflict" or "contradiction." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Some action, decision, opinion, statement, or ruling) falls into glaring disaccord with (reason, logic, justice, or decency)." Example: "Such a lenient sentence for such a heinous crime falls into glaring disaccord with justice." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "Sleek Slogans." I'll take a familiar slogan from a company or a product, express that slogan in plain language, and tell you the specific qualities the slogan has (like rhyme or alliteration), and then you come up with the real slogan as well as the name of the company or product. From the previous issue: Rewrite this slogan by using concision (the use of as few words as possible) and an oxymoron (a phrase or a statement that seems to conflict with itself): "We are able to offer you all the advantages of both a warm local bank and a powerful global bank." Answer: That's a slogan for HSBC: "The world's local bank."  Try this one today: Rewrite this slogan by putting a twist on a cliché (that is, by changing the wording in an overused phrase): "Instead of getting your usual boring hamburger for lunch, get something different from us." review today's word: 1. A near opposite of DISACCORD is A. BRAVADO. B. NIRVANA. C. UNANIMITY. 2. By avoiding the subject, they skirted the disaccord between them, not allowing it to _____. A. mar their partnership B. enrich their conversations C. bloom into more than friendship Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A