Word.ws English Dictionary

apple of discord

Syllables: ap·ple of dis·cordUK/ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔːd/US/ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔɹd/

apple of discord noun: an object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.

apple of discord: an object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or...
Image: Jacob Jordaens / After Peter Paul Rubens / Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

apple of discord (plural apples of discord)

  1. An object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.
    • He has determined to enter the cabinet surrounded with creatures only, and, as to the Parliament, to trust to his dexterity and strength in throwing the apple of discord, occasions for doing which will, he imagines, soon and frequently occur.1804 May 19, “Summary of Politics”, in William Cobbett, editor, Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register, volume V, number 20, London: Printed by Cox and Baylis, Great Queen Street; published by Richard...
    • He [Pope Pius VII] had hardly regained Rome when a domestic incident in the Bonaparte family became the immediate cause of that struggle between Pope and Emperor which only ended with the downfall of Napoleon's power. This apple of discord was the outraged honour of a Protestant girl, which the...1875, Mary H[elen Agnes] Allies, “The Apple of Discord”, in The Life of Pope Pius the Seventh, London: Burns and Oates, Portman Street and Paternoster Row, →OCLC, page 91
    Synonyms:
    golden apple

apple of discord meaning in Indonesian

apple of discord in Indonesian

object which sows anger and dissension
apel perselisihan

Synonyms of apple of discord

Forms of apple of discord

pluralapples of discord

Origin of apple of discord

A reference to the μῆλον τῆς Ἔριδος (mêlon tês Éridos, “apple of Eris”) in Greek mythology, a golden apple inscribed ‘for the fairest female’ which Eris (known as Discordia to the Romans), the goddess of discord and strife, tossed in the midst of the feast of the gods at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. This provoked a dispute among Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera as to who was the most beautiful, and eventually led to the Trojan War.

Questions about apple of discord

What does apple of discord mean?
Apple of discord means an object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.
What is apple of discord in Indonesian?
Apple of discord in Indonesian is apel perselisihan. See Apple of discord meaning in Indonesian.
What part of speech is apple of discord?
Apple of discord is a noun.
How do you pronounce apple of discord?
Apple of discord is pronounced /ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔːd/ (UK).
What is the plural of apple of discord?
The plural of apple of discord is apples of discord.

Words near apple of discord in the dictionary

  1. apple moss
  2. apple mosses
  3. apple moth
  4. apple moths
  5. apple of Adam
  6. apple of discord
  7. apple of Grenada
  8. apple of love
  9. apple of Peru
  10. apple of Sodom
  11. apple of someone's eye

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: apple of discord (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

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