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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conflict
Brett Samuels, The Hill, 13 May 2025
These challenges can arise not only from theological conflicts but also from mismatches in personality, learning style, or emotional needs that went unrecognized or invalidated in those environments.
—Devora Shabtai, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
Alan Nichol, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The agency terminated the CREATE project, formerly at Georgia State University, because the program conflicted with the department's policy of prioritizing merit, fairness and excellence in education, according to a termination letter obtained by ABC News.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflict
Noun
The president, who has sought to portray himself as a peacemaker for global conflicts, also took a softer tone toward Iran as his administration seeks to reach a deal with Tehran over its nuclear program.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 13 May 2025
These challenges can arise not only from theological conflicts but also from mismatches in personality, learning style, or emotional needs that went unrecognized or invalidated in those environments.
—Devora Shabtai, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
Verb
Across multiple tests, agentic AI assistants introduced inconsistencies in execution over 80% of the time, often misinterpreting requests, generating conflicting responses, or failing to follow business logic.
—Alan Nichol, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The agency terminated the CREATE project, formerly at Georgia State University, because the program conflicted with the department's policy of prioritizing merit, fairness and excellence in education, according to a termination letter obtained by ABC News.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflict
Noun
-
Image His support for Mr. Trump has led Tesla’s sales to plummet and has caused strife within his companies, as some employees have taken the rare step of speaking out against their chief executive’s political activity.—
Theodore Schleifer,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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In 1961-1962, the U.S. political climate was icy, amid escalating strife with the Soviet Union, but there was a warmth emanating from the burgeoning counterculture movement.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Dugan's arrest has escalated a clash between the Trump administration and Democrats over the Republican president's sweeping immigration crackdown.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan’s arrest and ensuing indictment has escalated a clash between President Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown.—
Todd Richmond,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 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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This is a space that is ripe for standardization, the entry of new players in the market, and more vendor rivalries and drama.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
-
At times, the rivalry between the players has become the biggest topic of discussion in sports and eclipsed the athletic world, raising issues of race and gender equality.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Otherwise the satellite could just end up in a different orbit around Earth and, worse, could collide with other satellites.—
Aaron Shattuck,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
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All three of the ship’s masts, which were decorated with string lights, collided with the bridge and were damaged upon impact.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
Noun
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What all of these cases have in common is a truly gigantic deer, and then, sadly, lots of discord within the hunting community.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
15 May 2025
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In addition to the discord within the athletic department, Ritz acknowledged in an April 11 email to the community that he’s also dealt with two other serious issues involving staffers.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
11 May 2025
Noun
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Past skirmishes with Pakistan had allowed Modi to construct a triumphalist narrative of strength that played to his domestic audience.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
-
Fever star Caitlin Clark and Reese got into a skirmish during the game, which sparked boos from the home crowd.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The trade war ramped up at the beginning of April, so price hikes have not yet affected the cost of living, with inflation easing last month.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
15 May 2025
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After months of escalating tariffs between the world’s two largest economies, the trade war between the U.S. and China is entering a new chapter – a steep reduction of their respective tariffs for 90 days as the two countries continue trade talk this week.—
Dian Zhang,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflict. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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