confrontation

play

noun con·fron·ta·tion \ ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of confrontation

:the act of confronting :the state of being confronted: such as

a :a face-to-face meeting

a confrontation between the suspect and the victim

b :the clashing of forces or ideas :conflict

a violent confrontation between rival gangs

c :comparison

The flashbacks bring into meaningful confrontation present and past, near and far.
—R. J. Clements

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confrontational

play \ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

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confrontationalist

play \ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nə-list\ noun

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confrontationist

play \ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nist\ noun or adjective

See confrontation defined for English-language learners

Examples of confrontation in a Sentence

There were several violent confrontations between rival gangs.
He would prefer not to have a confrontation with the authorities.
a series of confrontations between residents and police
We want cooperation, not confrontation.
We seek to avoid military confrontation at all costs.

Recent Examples of confrontation from the Web

Historians today broadly agree that a slaveholding aristocracy was irreconcilable with the nation’s founding pledges of liberty and equality, and that decades of compromises between top American statesmen only delayed an inevitable confrontation.

— matt ford, The Atlantic, "What Trump's Generation Learned About the Civil War," 28 Aug. 2017
However, the deadly confrontation in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12 during a rally of white supremacists led San Francisco police and civil leaders to rethink their response to protests. —

— janie har, The Seattle Times, "Birthplace of free speech movement braces for possible fight," 27 Aug. 2017
The left-wing group By Any Means Necessary, which has been involved in violent confrontations, had vowed to shut down the rally at Civic Center Park.

— paul elias, chicagotribune.com, "Berkeley, birthplace of the free speech movement, braces for possible fight," 27 Aug. 2017
Two men got into a violent confrontation in City Heights Saturday night, leaving one with life-threatening injuries, San Diego police said.

— lyndsay winkley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Man critically injured in violent, City Heights stabbing," 27 Aug. 2017
The news was quickly confirmed by the Times, which reported that Trump, known for his dislike of confrontation and firing people in private, had hesitated on axing Bannon but was not committed to him leaving.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Steve Bannon Is Leaving the White House," 18 Aug. 2017
More confrontations were reported elsewhere in the country, including in Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second-largest city.

— cody weddle and patricia mazzei, miamiherald, "Showdown Venezuela vote under way amid tense protests," 30 July 2017
Earlier this year, ScienceInsider reported on a dispute between a graduate student and a prominent biomedical researcher at Harvard University that escalated into an unusual legal confrontation.

— alison mccook, Science | AAAS, "At Harvard, extraordinary court battle between Ph.D. student and prominent researcher grinds on," 27 July 2017
Taiwan will not revert to the old path of confrontation.

— The Economist, "LettersLetters to the editor," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confrontation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.