conflict

¹con·flict

noun \ˈkän-ˌflikt\

Definition of CONFLICT

1

: fight, battle, war <an armed conflict>

2

a : competitive or opposing action of incompatibles : antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons)

b : mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands

3

: the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction

— con·flict·ful \ˈkän-ˌflikt-fəl\ adjective

— con·flic·tu·al \kän-ˈflik-chə-wəl, kən-, -chəl, -shwəl, -chü-əl\ adjective

Examples of CONFLICT

1. a conflict between two gangs
2. recent violent conflict in the region
3. Everyone in my family always tries to avoid conflict.
4. There was inevitable conflict over what to name the group.
5. They're having serious conflicts over the budget.
6. I don't see any conflicts between the theories.
7. You'll need to resolve the conflict between your parents' plans for you and your own ambitions.
8. In great wars—the American Civil War, the First and Second World Wars—the largest casualties are suffered just before the conflicts end. —Steve Forbes, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2009
9. At a moment when the country was still in the throes of the conflict over Vietnam, it was refreshing to see the best of America. —Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006
10. The basic conflict in the novel is, of course, between the life on the river, where Huck finds innocence, brotherhood with man, and communion with nature, and life ashore, where, stage by stage, he discovers the corruption of society … —Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, (1975) 1976
11. … for work-family conflicts to disappear, two rock-ribbed institutions must change: the whole concept of children's care, and the way the workplace works. —Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983

Origin of CONFLICT

Middle English, from Latin conflictus act of striking together, from confligere to strike together, from com- + fligere to strike — more at profligate

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to CONFLICT

Synonyms

discord, disaccord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dissension (also dissention), dissent, dissidence, dissonance, disunion, disunity, division, friction, infighting, inharmony, schism, strife, variance, war, warfare

Antonyms

accord, agreement, concord, concordance, harmony, peace

Related Words

clash, collision, competition, contention; altercation, argument, bicker, brawl, debate, disagreement, dispute, divide, fissure; falling-out, fight, hassle, jar, miff, mix-up, quarrel, row, run-in, scrap, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle; incompatibility, incongruence, incongruity, incongruousness, inconsistence, inconsistency, inconsonance, inharmoniousness; animosity, antagonism, antipathy, cold war, enmity, hostility, ill will, rancor

Near Antonyms

concurrence, cooperation

See Synonym Discussion at discord

Rhymes with CONFLICT

addict, afflict, constrict, convict, delict, depict, district, edict, evict, inflict, lipsticked, predict, restrict, unlicked, verdict

²con·flict

intransitive verb \kən-ˈflikt, ˈkän-ˌ\

Definition of CONFLICT

1

archaic : to contend in warfare

2

: to be different, opposed, or contradictory : to fail to be in agreement or accord <his statement conflicts with the facts>

— con·flic·tion \kən-ˈflik-shən, kän-\ noun

— con·flic·tive \kən-ˈflik-tiv, ˈkän-ˌ\ adjective

Examples of CONFLICT

1. Reports conflicted on how many people were involved.
2. <his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report>
3. The expectations about motherhood as full-time job that this situation created conflicted with the philosophy of the women's movement of the l960's. —Anita Shreve, New York Times Magazine, 2l Nov. l982
4. Mr. van Wolferen says the U.S. must do more: It has to openly explain to Japan that it wants a managed-trade deal in order to end the bickering between the two nations, a move that would conflict with America's free-trade rhetoric. —David P. Hamilton, Wall Street Journal, 8 June 1995
5. Lily smiled faintly at the injunction to take her tea strong. It was the temptation she was always struggling to resist. Her craving for the keen stimulant was forever conflicting with that other craving for sleep … —Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905

Origin of CONFLICT

(see ¹conflict)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to CONFLICT

Synonyms

collide, clash, disaccord, discord, jar

Antonyms

accord, blend, conform (to or with), fit, harmonize, match

Related Words

battle, combat, engage, fight, war (against); chafe, gall, grate, jangle; differ, disagree, dissent

Near Antonyms

agree, assent, coincide, concur, correspond

con·flict

noun \ˈkän-ˌflikt\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of CONFLICT

: mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands

—con·flict·ful \ˈkän-ˌflikt-fəl\ adjective

—con·flict·less \ˈkän-ˌflik-tləs\ adjective

—con·flic·tu·al \kän-ˈflik-ch(ə-w)əl, kən-\ adjective

conflict

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In psychology, a struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or demands. Interpersonal conflict represents such a struggle between two or more people, while internal conflict is a mental struggle. A child experiencing internal conflict, for example, may be dependent on his mother but fear her because she is rejecting and punitive. Conflicts that are not readily resolved may cause the person to suffer helplessness and anxiety. See also learned helplessness.