conflict 1 of 2

noun

ˈkän-ˌflikt How to pronounce conflict (audio)
Definition of conflictnext
1
as in strife
a lack of agreement or harmony the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility

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2
as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups an armed conflict between strikers and strikebreakers

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3
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups the United Nations strives to prevent international conflicts

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4
as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the eternal conflict between the forces of good and evil

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conflict

2 of 2

verb

kən-ˈflikt How to pronounce conflict (audio)
as in to clash
to be out of harmony or agreement usually noticeably his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun conflict contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of conflict are contention, discord, dissension, strife, and variance. While all these words mean "a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony," conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.

the conflict of freedom and responsibility

In what contexts can contention take the place of conflict?

The words contention and conflict are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

several points of contention about the new zoning law

When might discord be a better fit than conflict?

Although the words discord and conflict have much in common, discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.

a political party long racked by discord

When can dissension be used instead of conflict?

The synonyms dissension and conflict are sometimes interchangeable, but dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

religious dissension threatened to split the colony

Where would strife be a reasonable alternative to conflict?

In some situations, the words strife and conflict are roughly equivalent. However, strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.

during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife

When could variance be used to replace conflict?

While in some cases nearly identical to conflict, variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.

cultural variances that work against a national identity

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 conflict
Noun
Trump has claimed credit for resolving conflicts between India and Pakistan, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Armenia and Azerbaijan, among others. —Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2025 Operated by the title character, Steve — into whom lead actor Cillian Murphy channels all sorts of irreconcilable conflict — this is the reform school of last resort. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
As foreign dignitaries descend in Beijing this week, the conflicting narratives on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are a reminder that eight decades after Japan's surrender, the guns may be silent, but the battle over the legacy of the war is far from over. —Jan Camenzind Broomby, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025 Similarly, one TikTok filmed in a Walmart location shows stray unaltered tags with prices conflicting with higher on-rack pricing signs. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflict
  1. strife
  2. clash
  3. hostilities
  4. rivalry
  5. collide
  6. discord
  7. skirmish
  8. war
Noun
  • In addition to Kalima’s holograph, the Stories of Survival exhibit also features objects from those who survived such strife in Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda, South Sudan and Syria.
    — Kelly Haramis, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The Chrisley family's grand return to TV after Todd and Julie's pardon releases from prison is marred by family strife that grew during the years of lockup.
    — Ryan Coleman September 2, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Definition of strife
Noun
  • The cutbacks are the result of a clash over two budgets—the SEPTA budget and the Pennsylvania budget.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • An opening clash in Luxembourg is followed up by a bout against the four-time world champions in Cologne, as Michael O’Neill’s young team dreams of emulating the side that made it to the 1986 tournament in Mexico.
    — Jack Bantock, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of clash
Noun
  • The war ended with a lopsided Israeli victory, and with Iran scrambling to find more ways to punish and deter Israel if hostilities resumed.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
  • How did the two very different groups of men, their relations instantly tense from decades of hostilities and colonialist trauma, manage to work together toward a common goal?
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2025
Definition of hostilities
Noun
  • The rivalry itself has been tight.
    — Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Djokovic ultimately emerged as the third man, which enriched the dynamic and added layers, creating three rivalries where previously there had been one.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of rivalry
Verb
  • Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy exited with a shoulder injury after colliding with tight end Travis Kelce on Kansas City’s first possession and was later ruled out.
    — Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Worthy collided with Travis Kelce on their underneath crossing patterns on the initial third down of the game and injured his shoulder.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Definition of collide
Noun
  • When a mother tree is felled, the survival rate of many of its seedlings may be drastically reduced, a process not unlike the reciprocal feedback loop of Yggdrasill, whose deterioration in response to discord in the nine realms spells cosmic collapse.
    — Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Growing discord between Democrats over the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas flared during the second day of the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) summer meeting.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Definition of discord
Noun
  • Still one of the NFL’s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.
    — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Ideological skirmishes over the motives and obligations of Carpenter’s music include both sincere interrogation of its feminism and smirking counteractive reprisals to that scrutiny.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of skirmish
Noun
  • All Quiet on the Western Front is a visually graphic portrayal of the horrors of war, earning four Academy Awards in 2023 — including Best International Feature Film.
    — Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Presumably, this is because those players lost their ‘development’ period — their early teenage years — to the war.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Definition of war

Browse Nearby Words

conflations
conflict
conflicted
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Cite this Entry

“Conflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflict. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on conflict

Nglish: Translation of conflict for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about conflict

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