What does concord mean?
Concord is a formal English noun meaning agreement, harmony, or peaceful accord between people, groups, or nations, as well as — in grammar — the agreement of words within a sentence. Its most common use is in elevated or literary contexts: treaties, political speeches, and descriptions of communities at peace all speak of concord, giving the word a dignified, positive tone. Linguists use it more technically for grammatical agreement, such as when a verb matches its subject in number ('the dogs bark', not 'the dogs barks'). The word comes from Latin concordia, formed from com- ('together') and cor/cors ('heart') — literally 'hearts together' — which also gave us discord, its direct opposite. Because it names both social peace and linguistic order, concord is a richly layered term: useful whenever you want a slightly grander alternative to 'agreement', and essential vocabulary for students of language who must describe how words align within sentences.
Agreement, harmony, or peaceful accord between individuals, groups, or nations.
"The signing of the treaty brought long-sought concord to the region."
Formal register; often used in diplomatic, historical, or literary contexts.
In grammar and linguistics: agreement between words, especially in number, gender, or case, such as between a subject and its verb.
"French verbs show concord with their subjects in person and number."
Technical sense used chiefly by linguists and language teachers; sometimes called 'agreement'.
Rarely pluralized; the singular is almost always sufficient since concord is typically treated as uncountable in its senses of harmony and grammatical agreement.
"The composer's variations move through a series of gentle concords."
The word for peace and the word for conflict — concord and discord — come from exactly the same Latin root; discord simply added a negative prefix to the idea.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of concord
Concord derives from Latin concordia, meaning agreement or harmony, built from the prefix com- ('together') and cor, cordis ('heart'), so its literal sense is 'hearts together'. It entered Middle English from Old French concorde around the late medieval period and has carried both its general sense of harmony and, later, its grammatical sense of agreement between words. The same Latin root produced discord (dis- + cordis) and cognates such as concordat and concordance.
How concord is actually used
Concord is a formal, somewhat literary word; everyday speech usually prefers 'agreement' or 'harmony'. The grammatical sense is standard in linguistics and language teaching but rare elsewhere. It carries strongly positive connotations of peaceful unity.
Easily confused with concord
'Conqueror' means one who defeats others by force, while 'concord' refers to peace and agreement — nearly opposite ideas that share only a similar opening sound.
A 'concourse' is a large open space where people gather (such as an airport hall), whereas 'concord' denotes harmony or grammatical agreement.