CONFLICTS Synonyms: 166 Similar and Opposite Words

conflicts 1 of 2

noun

plural of conflict

as in frictions

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in clashes

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truces

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

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Clients should understand whether the advisor is legally obligated to put their interests first, how conflicts are disclosed and whether recommendations are shaped by commissions, proprietary products or outside incentives. —

Bob Chitrathorn, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 These conflicts raged on through the pandemic, when the country was generally going insane, and in 2022, when President Joe Biden exercised his right to appoint a new chair, Rios took what was in effect a thankless cleanup job. —

Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Instead, Goldman told USA TODAY, longtime residents in the district are focused on housing and immigration enforcement than conflicts in the Middle East. —

Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 23 June 2026 Space Force officials have increasingly looked to commercial providers to develop new capabilities and technologies to address potential conflicts in space. —

Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 June 2026 Aside from the main Charlotte Pride event, which is celebrated in August to avoid scheduling conflicts, the city is also home to Charlotte Black Pride, which centers celebrating the city’s Black LGBTQ residents. —

Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026 After narrowly missing out on advancing to the main tournament, Wales was chosen in a draw for a qualifier playoff against Israel, which had faced forfeits from multiple teams, including Turkey, Indonesia, and Egypt, because of geopolitical tensions at the time amid Arab-Israeli conflicts. —

Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 June 2026 Haddad said the qualification offers an opportunity for the world to see a different side of Jordan, a nation often overshadowed by regional conflicts. —

Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 17 June 2026 The trial at the Special Criminal Court, a tribunal created in 2015 to prosecute serious crimes committed during the country’s conflicts, centers on abuses at a prison and a military training center in Bossembélé, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of the capital, Bangui. —

ABC News, 16 June 2026

Verb

Olathe Schools also agreed to revise or remove any policies, guidance or website content that conflicts with the department’s interpretations of Title IX and Kansas law. —

Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts

Noun

In the months that followed, frictions only deepened.

— Kyra Colah, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
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