CONFLICTS Synonyms: 166 Similar and Opposite Words

conflicts 1 of 2

noun

Definition of conflicts next

plural of conflict

as in frictions

a lack of agreement or harmony the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility

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as in clashes

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups an armed conflict between strikers and strikebreakers

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truces

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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as in rivalries

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

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conflicts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of conflict

as in collides

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

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 conflicts

Noun

Closed schools across the Gulf are a reminder that when conflicts escalate, children are the first to pay the price, the UN’s secretary general told the Security Council earlier this month, Arab News reported. —

Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026 Consequences from geopolitical tensions and conflicts abroad aren't limited to just overseas. —

Matt Richardson, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026 On the trail, there were no distractions from the inevitable conflicts that arose. —

David Gleisner, Outside, 24 Mar. 2026 Quantity makes the conflicts zig and zag. —

Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 LaGuardia is one of 35 major airports across the country equipped with an advanced surface surveillance system that uses radar and data from locator systems on planes to alert controllers to potential conflicts on runways, according to the FAA. —

Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026 Congress, in contrast, has declared war in only five conflicts and only after an aggressor had already broken the peace, for example, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. —

Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2026 What interested us was to depict human beings in a situation where internal conflicts are made even more pressing and important by a foreign power. —

Kevin Giraud, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026 Stay informed about the latest advancements in military technology, defense strategies, and global conflicts. —

Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026

Verb

But Balzano rejects the idea that fast development automatically conflicts with automotive reliability. —

Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026 That approach also conflicts with the national framework governing commercial driver licensing. —

Bhupinder Kaur, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026 And that sometimes conflicts with folks who jump in on discussions right as things are happening. —

Zack Pierce, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts

Noun

All these films directed by Arab women are about the unique schisms and frictions of the Arab world, and all of them allow Bakri to communicate the process of choice — a privilege that so many people, especially Palestinians, usually aren’t afforded but that Bakri’s characters insist upon.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
In more recent times, civil-military frictions have consisted almost entirely of civilian leaders pushing the military up to or over the bounds of traditional decorum or even the law.

— Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026