1
as in strife
a lack of agreement or harmony
the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conflict
Joshua Sammons, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Scaring a black bear can reinforce its natural fear of people and help keep it from lingering in neighborhoods and other areas where conflicts often arise.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
Brooke Migdon, The Hill, 25 June 2025
Furthermore, the intelligence assessments of the situation have been conflicting.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflict
Noun
One story dominated the headlines: President Donald Trump and the conflict between Israel and Iran.
—Joshua Sammons, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Scaring a black bear can reinforce its natural fear of people and help keep it from lingering in neighborhoods and other areas where conflicts often arise.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
Verb
California state officials and the CIF have said implementing Trump’s order would conflict with state laws against discrimination, including for transgender young people.
—Brooke Migdon, The Hill, 25 June 2025
Furthermore, the intelligence assessments of the situation have been conflicting.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflict
Noun
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The lasting impact of the 1953 coup While the U.S. and Iran have butt heads over a range of issues since the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis, including years of strife over Iran’s nuclear program, the 1953 coup remains a critical event still invoked in modern Iran.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 June 2025
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Keeping the family home can feel like an important legacy to offer to your children, but not if ownership creates strife that imperils family relationships.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 June 2025
Noun
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In many ways, the game might offer a blueprint for the quarterfinal clash against Paris Saint-Germain.—
Manuel Veth,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Small groups of far-right counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the parade, but police kept them away and diverted the route of the march to avoid any clashes.—
Anita Komuves,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Noun
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These meetings initially took place virtually and then in person across different capitals, seeking a cessation of hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
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But Putin had other ideas, tying a halt in hostilities to the West readmitting certain Russian banks into the West’s financial network.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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McIntyre believes their rivalry was proof that personal tension can enhance storytelling.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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The rivalry between Ingebrigtsen and Kerr has spilled into a war of words in recent years, roughly dating back to when the former claimed to have been under the weather during the 2023 world championships.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
23 June 2025
Verb
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This pattern plays out in both our personal and professional lives, where women are often expected to adjust their schedules and make compromises when family responsibilities collide with work.—
Julia Korn,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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The Mercedes flipped onto its roof and slid across the road into oncoming traffic, then collided with another car, a 2015 Lexus RX 350.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
Noun
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More: Trump says US intel briefed him about how Iran wants to assassinate him to sow discord in US Tehran’s regional power also has been eroded by the death of its strongest regional ally, Syrian strongman Bashir al-Assad.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
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Success, progress and wins tend to naturally quiet the discord.—
Joe Altieri,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The protests were substantially peaceful, although small skirmishes resulting in arrests, damage to property and injuries broke out when police tried to disperse the crowd with rubber bullets and tear gas.—
Megan Schrader,
Denver Post,
22 June 2025
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Eisman drew similarities between the rocky trade environment and lead-up to World War I, likely referring to a series of treaties forged in the decades before the war designed to settle regional skirmishes that, in reality, created two massive, and eventually opposing, alliances.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Culiacan, which has around 1 million residents and is the capital of western Mexico's Sinaloa state, has been wrought by a war for control between two rival drug trafficking groups of the Sinaloa cartel – Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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Iran Offer The flare-up between India and Pakistan has been overshadowed globally by the war between Israel and Iran, with the United States also joining strikes against Tehran's nuclear program.—
Jennifer Cunningham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflict. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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