as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the softball rivals met in an epic confrontation on the last weekend of the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confrontation
Produced by the Basra Cinema Center, of which Alkadumy is executive director, the film centers on Ahmed, a child with a speech impediment who is continually dismissed during Quranic lessons until defiance stirs within him, setting off a silent confrontation with his authoritative teacher.
—
Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Those protests were largely peaceful, with a few isolated confrontations, including a vehicular assault in Virginia.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Ultimately, Saleh and Coen had an on-field verbal confrontation after the Jaguars beat the 49ers 26-21.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
During a confrontation, Bryant stabbed K9 Roam multiple times, police said.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Those protests were largely peaceful, with a few isolated confrontations, including a vehicular assault in Virginia.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Ultimately, Saleh and Coen had an on-field verbal confrontation after the Jaguars beat the 49ers 26-21.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
During a confrontation, Bryant stabbed K9 Roam multiple times, police said.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontation
Noun
-
There is also a danger that anger with Hamas and rivalries within the Palestinian community in Gaza could now explode, analysts say.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The men’s opposing theories, murder versus suicide, became entangled in a rivalry over who had known and understood him best.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Keeping track of what both Pokémon are doing, each of their health bars, the animations for each attack and the battle log (which shows whether or not attacks have landed) takes a long time to get used to.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
With tensions rising, the film transforms into an unsettling black comedy as the colleagues descend into a battle of wills and wits.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While the Blues’ defensive struggles certainly can be pinned on one player, rookie Logan Mailloux is fighting it.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
In recent years, the Brit had been open about his struggles with alcohol, drugs and depression.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Game 4 was high-intensity from the jump with Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Glasnow going head-to-head in a pitchers' duel.—
Valentina Martinez,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The hope is more of a fiery attitude could lead to more duels won.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Once on campus, he’s drawn into the intense world of Black Greek life, where rival fraternities battle through stepping competitions that blend rhythm, tradition, and pride.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Of their 16 meetings in all competitions between August 2004 and August 2007, 10 featured one goal or fewer.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In Warhead, Wright explains how armed conflict impacts every part of our brain, from the instinctive reflexes of our reptilian brainstem to the cognitive and metacognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Thomas warns, the square with Pluto is particularly challenging, representing unexpected hurdles, conflicts, and hardship thrust at us from left field.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As coalition warfare becomes the norm, integrating data across multiple partners—each with distinct platforms and classification levels—can mean the difference between success and failure.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is moving its ground forces from traditional close-range tank warfare to long-range, beyond-visual-range combat, enabled by its latest generation of main battle tanks, according to a PLA Daily report published Monday.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There is still a lot of football left to be played, but the idea of Cleveland pulling off a shocking comeback to get back into playoff contention should be put to rest.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Some of Penn State’s coaching targets could be in CFP contention.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confrontation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontation. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share