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
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Determined to rise to the occasion and work out every possible kink, Daisy sets out to resolve conflicts between the stews and in the galley.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2026
The most serious Anglo-American and wider Atlantic alliance crisis was over the Suez Canal in 1956, not the current Middle East conflicts.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Since 2023, Israel has been embroiled in conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Trump says the project is funded by private donors but has refused to release a list of donations or explain if any of them have potential conflicts.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Long-standing book clubs in Los Angeles are a rarity — many flame out due to dwindling interest, scheduling conflicts and waning enthusiasm.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Read the story » More Top Stories The war in Iran has caused ripple effects in conflicts around the world, especially in the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite persistent economic headwinds and ongoing global conflicts affecting trade and transportation, the mood among exhibitors and attendees at Kingpins Amsterdam last week was notably more optimistic than at the previous two editions.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Apr. 2026
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
That law conflicts with the state constitution, Womack said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
Since one of the metaphorical aspects of the script concerns how swiftly conflicts can flare up from small disagreements into major knock-down-drag-out fights, showing the violence and bared-teeth snarling is appropriate, a lighter touch could work, too.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Determined to rise to the occasion and work out every possible kink, Daisy sets out to resolve conflicts between the stews and in the galley.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2026
The most serious Anglo-American and wider Atlantic alliance crisis was over the Suez Canal in 1956, not the current Middle East conflicts.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Since 2023, Israel has been embroiled in conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Trump says the project is funded by private donors but has refused to release a list of donations or explain if any of them have potential conflicts.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Long-standing book clubs in Los Angeles are a rarity — many flame out due to dwindling interest, scheduling conflicts and waning enthusiasm.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Read the story » More Top Stories The war in Iran has caused ripple effects in conflicts around the world, especially in the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite persistent economic headwinds and ongoing global conflicts affecting trade and transportation, the mood among exhibitors and attendees at Kingpins Amsterdam last week was notably more optimistic than at the previous two editions.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
That law conflicts with the state constitution, Womack said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
-
From there, the film unfolds through a series of episodes shaped by displacement, awkward encounters and the frictions of contemporary Germany.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Across this soppy set of songs, the sum of these frictions is cyborgish and spectral, music from a MacBook whose dying wish was to see the world.—
Samuel Hyland,
Pitchfork,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Transportation future While most Coloradans want properly maintained roads, Restore Our Roads clashes with voters’ broader wishes, said Matt Frommer, transportation and land use policy manager for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, an environmental advocacy group.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, clashes between farmers and herders in southwestern Chad left 42 people dead and several homes burned.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Though active hostilities have paused for the moment, the conflict has already exacted a tragic toll on combatants and civilians alike, threatened global stability and underscored in stark relief the grim reality of war.—
William E. Lori,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Saturday his country is sending minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean to help remove Iranian mines from the strait once hostilities end.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some may fall victim to regional political rivalries and never materialize.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
And obviously there have been some really great rivalries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 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
-
The early skirmishes certainly appeared that way.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The skirmishes are a preview for more campaigns later this year, when at least a half-dozen states will hold elections for utility regulators.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Now the edge is getting pushed yet again, as the culture transitions from the memeification of one man’s death to delighting in the real-time memes of wars.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Plenty of others haven’t engaged with the book at all, instead using its premise — and ironically, Hathaway’s role as a female producer on the film — as fodder for the ever-raging American culture wars.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That means the knock-down, drag-out government shutdown battles that have become a Washington ritual are, in effect, a fight over a little more than a quarter of the federal ledger.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Marr's legal battles with State Farm started in 1999, when Marr says the insurer denied a claim that a friend filed for tornado damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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