1
as in frictions
a lack of agreement or harmony
the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clashes
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
an armed conflict between strikers and strikebreakers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the eternal conflict between the forces of good and evil
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in collides
to be out of harmony or agreement usually noticeably
his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conflicts
Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Though there are no mentions in Woman Down of conflicts between the cast of the movie-within-the-book, Petra did butt heads with a producer named Allister Jones, who was behind the changes to the plot for the adaptation.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Bodyboarders and surfers haven’t historically gotten along, especially in the ’80s, when conflicts in the water were commonplace.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
Ongoing conflicts about parenting, finances or other issues can either cause too much heat or one partner to shut down emotionally.
—Oona Metz, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Choose to let go of harmless slights and petty conflicts.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
In those conflicts, as in earlier wars, women served under fire and were recognized for acts of combat valor.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2026
People like Gabbard, who served in Iraq and Kuwait, saw overseas conflicts as costly distractions from domestic problems, and viewed American military power with deep cynicism.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
The township is arguing that state law regarding government employee protections against lawsuits conflicts with federal court rulings.
—Laura A. Bischoff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
That law conflicts with the state constitution, Womack said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
This trend conflicts with how deeply rural populations value family and friendship, and fails to capture how rural populations interact with the indoor spaces that are central to their daily lives.
—William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The center guides parties through community issues like noise but also conflicts with roommates and landlords.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Morrisey hasn’t withdrawn his executive order, which conflicts with the state’s immunization law, and has generated confusion and uncertainty.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Work culture, tennis or otherwise, rewards busyness and often self-sacrifice, which conflicts with self-care and mental health.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In addition, the act contains a preemption provision that expresses that no state can enforce a law that conflicts with the act.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
These cultural differences stoked the media fires further, as Verrett is larger than life in every sense, unapologetically himself and proud of it, which conflicts with Norwegian janteloven.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Though there are no mentions in Woman Down of conflicts between the cast of the movie-within-the-book, Petra did butt heads with a producer named Allister Jones, who was behind the changes to the plot for the adaptation.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Bodyboarders and surfers haven’t historically gotten along, especially in the ’80s, when conflicts in the water were commonplace.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
Ongoing conflicts about parenting, finances or other issues can either cause too much heat or one partner to shut down emotionally.
—Oona Metz, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Choose to let go of harmless slights and petty conflicts.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
In those conflicts, as in earlier wars, women served under fire and were recognized for acts of combat valor.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2026
People like Gabbard, who served in Iraq and Kuwait, saw overseas conflicts as costly distractions from domestic problems, and viewed American military power with deep cynicism.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
The township is arguing that state law regarding government employee protections against lawsuits conflicts with federal court rulings.
—Laura A. Bischoff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
The description conflicts with the White House’s portrayal of the two women as long estranged.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
That law conflicts with the state constitution, Womack said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
This trend conflicts with how deeply rural populations value family and friendship, and fails to capture how rural populations interact with the indoor spaces that are central to their daily lives.
—William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The center guides parties through community issues like noise but also conflicts with roommates and landlords.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Morrisey hasn’t withdrawn his executive order, which conflicts with the state’s immunization law, and has generated confusion and uncertainty.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Work culture, tennis or otherwise, rewards busyness and often self-sacrifice, which conflicts with self-care and mental health.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In addition, the act contains a preemption provision that expresses that no state can enforce a law that conflicts with the act.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
These cultural differences stoked the media fires further, as Verrett is larger than life in every sense, unapologetically himself and proud of it, which conflicts with Norwegian janteloven.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
-
By April, new tariffs and trade frictions triggered some of the most significant trade actions in decades.—
Joe Ngai,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Trade and diplomatic frictions aside, Japanese companies are positive on business growth, with the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey showing that sentiment among Japanese companies mostly improved in the fourth quarter, especially among small manufacturers.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The investigation into the killing of a US citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this week is being complicated by clashes between federal and local officials, with the FBI taking control over the objections of Governor Tim Walz.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The powerful Sun clashes with Chiron by way of your chatter quadrant and your habit zone, encouraging you to address a tricky situation at work or in your neighborhood with courageous calm.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those presidents asked for permission to conduct hostilities because the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, unambiguously vests the war power in Congress.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Almost three years since the start of the Sudanese civil war, there are few signs of the hostilities ending soon, with experts fearing the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis could yet worsen.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The barbs thrown back and forth, creating headlines and fueling rivalries.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
-
JSerra-Mater Dei soccer is among the better rivalries in Orange County sports.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homes in both countries when border skirmishes broke out for the second time this year.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Dec. 2025
-
For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border – a dispute that has occasionally exploded into skirmishes and fighting.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
She's also covered the cartel wars along the TX-MX border, Congress in Mexico City, 3 presidential races, and 6 hurricanes.—
Karen Brooks Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
No One Knows What to Call Venezuela The wars since 1945 have not actually been so explicitly about resources, yet the President can't seem to stop talking about oil and energy.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Following the Bork confirmation debacle—when the Senate, closely split along party lines, rejected Robert Bork’s nomination to the Court—justices tended to reach the bench only after passing ideological screening systems and bruising Senate battles.—
Duncan Hosie,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
From roster makeup to individual position battles to the coaches looking to exploit any advantage on the field, every bit of film is scrutinized to see which team has the advantage in January.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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