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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
That new reality is the result of Iran’s relentless efforts to link the fate of both conflicts, and of the increasingly diverging priorities of the US president and the Israeli prime minister.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Arbeloa took over the helm in January to replace Xabi Alonso amid the team's struggles and conflicts with players.
—ABC News, 9 June 2026
Vincent told the Associated Press in an interview that the researchers were thoroughly vetted for conflicts and the findings were scientifically sound.
—Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Global conflicts have risen to the highest number since World War II, according to a new study by researchers at a Swedish university.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 June 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026
Intuitive Surgical also conflicts with our recent initiation of Johnson & Johnson, which is seeking to enter the robotic surgery market.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
The immediate gratification demanded by right-wing influencers inevitably conflicts with the level of behind-the-scenes preparation required to bring even the most slapdash case in court.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Dartmouth professor Jeff Friedman noted that younger voters grew up with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts that the public became disenchanted with.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2026
The design is a puddle of oil seeping high above and across the boulevard that conflicts with its surroundings.
—Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 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
Noun
Its Acadian, Creole and maritime narratives reveal how global conflicts and local landscapes shaped the Gulf South.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
That new reality is the result of Iran’s relentless efforts to link the fate of both conflicts, and of the increasingly diverging priorities of the US president and the Israeli prime minister.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Arbeloa took over the helm in January to replace Xabi Alonso amid the team's struggles and conflicts with players.
—ABC News, 9 June 2026
Vincent told the Associated Press in an interview that the researchers were thoroughly vetted for conflicts and the findings were scientifically sound.
—Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Global conflicts have risen to the highest number since World War II, according to a new study by researchers at a Swedish university.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 June 2026
Verb
In an oppositional reading of a media text, the audience comprehends that the message conflicts with or contradicts their personal experiences of society.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026
Intuitive Surgical also conflicts with our recent initiation of Johnson & Johnson, which is seeking to enter the robotic surgery market.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
The immediate gratification demanded by right-wing influencers inevitably conflicts with the level of behind-the-scenes preparation required to bring even the most slapdash case in court.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Dartmouth professor Jeff Friedman noted that younger voters grew up with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts that the public became disenchanted with.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2026
The design is a puddle of oil seeping high above and across the boulevard that conflicts with its surroundings.
—Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
-
Tensions between Rian and Patrick flare when Rian drunkenly mentions a brief fling with Shiv, though the film’s clunky edit, which gives little room for the performances to breathe and play out organically within their contexts, makes these frictions feel stilted and juvenile.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
22 May 2026
-
Outcomes announced so far also spotlight where daylight and frictions continue to exist.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
And intense clashes at a New Jersey immigration center about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the World Cup final will be held are a reminder of the tests facing the White House.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
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Slovenia’s Soča Valley carries World War I history — a museum in Kobarid covers the clashes between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces — while Grossglockner, Austria’s highest peak, offers turquoise lakes at the glacier’s edge.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Strikes in the region have continued in recent days despite the White House's assertion to lawmakers that hostilities have ended.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
The two sides had agreed last month to a ceasefire, but hostilities had continued.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The narrative tracks Maurício (Reymond), a retired player striving to establish a new career as an agent in the aggressive football business while managing industry rivalries, family tensions, and the legacy of his past disappointments.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
-
The diary was still treated primarily as evidence of motive, evidence about the boys, their rivalries, their jealousy, their emotional states.—
Kate Casey,
Vanity Fair,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
-
In every case, physical science, which is based on the evidence reported by these limited and limiting senses, eventually leaves us stranded with the conviction that sickness, accidents, and disasters – discords of every description, regardless of the apparent cause – are real and inevitable.—
Lisa Rennie Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
One of those skirmishes, in fact, involved Childress himself, in 2011 at Kansas Speedway, when the then-65-year-old car owner for an opposing team got into a physical altercation with Busch after an on-track incident.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
-
Inconspicuous blows against Denver escalated to skirmishes.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
These conflicts included wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Iran and Israel; and disputes between India and Pakistan.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
9 June 2026
-
Today’s gerrymandering wars are nothing other than an attempt by both parties to predetermine the outcome of elections.—
Frederic J. Fransen,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Situated on Route 33 in Manalapan, this state park has preserved the 18th-century landscape of one of the biggest battles of the Revolutionary War, where the Continental Army ambushed the British army along their route from Philadelphia to New York City.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have been open about their respective cancer battles, using their platforms to drive public awareness.—
Stephanie Bridger-Linning,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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