1
as in frictions
a lack of agreement or harmony
the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conflicts
ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
The stakes are high — suffice it to say, the tip is on the line — but the substance of the conflicts is absolutely ridiculous.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
As for cities that move around a bit more on the ranking, factors such as inflation and exchange-rate fluctuations, geopolitical volatility, and local conflicts can affect a place’s affordability from one year to the next.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
And geopolitical tensions and overseas conflicts have caused volatility in the stock market, both of which will need to be reduced to support rate reductions this year.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Empathy can change our perspective, diffuse conflicts and transform our relationships.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
But rather that sometimes, particularly with adult-child conflicts, the adult has to be very intentional about trying their best and assuming the best of the child.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Spring is in the air, international conflicts are at a fever pitch and the World Cup matches in Atlanta are less than three months away.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 7 Apr. 2026
And Iran has seen Israel carry out attacks against Lebanon and Gaza even after previous cease-fires in those conflicts were reached, Iranian officials said.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
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
The center guides parties through community issues like noise but also conflicts with roommates and landlords.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
The leaders of China and Spain on Tuesday pledged to strengthen their relations and work to safeguard multilateralism at a time when the world is being impacted by various conflicts, including the recent war in Iran, during a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
The stakes are high — suffice it to say, the tip is on the line — but the substance of the conflicts is absolutely ridiculous.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
As for cities that move around a bit more on the ranking, factors such as inflation and exchange-rate fluctuations, geopolitical volatility, and local conflicts can affect a place’s affordability from one year to the next.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
And geopolitical tensions and overseas conflicts have caused volatility in the stock market, both of which will need to be reduced to support rate reductions this year.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Empathy can change our perspective, diffuse conflicts and transform our relationships.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
But rather that sometimes, particularly with adult-child conflicts, the adult has to be very intentional about trying their best and assuming the best of the child.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Spring is in the air, international conflicts are at a fever pitch and the World Cup matches in Atlanta are less than three months away.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 7 Apr. 2026
And Iran has seen Israel carry out attacks against Lebanon and Gaza even after previous cease-fires in those conflicts were reached, Iranian officials said.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
The center guides parties through community issues like noise but also conflicts with roommates and landlords.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
-
Still, long-term questions persist, and Apple has warned that tariffs, trade restrictions and geopolitical frictions could raise costs, disrupt supply and force restructuring of operations.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Three newer ones — the USS Canberra, USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa — are equipped with advanced mine countermeasure, or MCM, packages that were intended to be useful in areas such as the Persian Gulf, the site of many wars involving clashes in the littoral zone, or shallow coastal areas.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
What should be a straightforward day of music grinds to a halt as the artists struggle to deal with personality clashes, an ambitious trumpeter named Levee (Boseman), and the band's mercurial frontwoman.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thanks to the religious hostilities that burst open in the late sixteenth century, the prevailing hue is blood.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The lull follows a ceasefire agreement reached Tuesday, when Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week pause in hostilities in an effort to end the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran, which began February 28.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Timoja had been misinformed that the ruler of Goa, Yusuf Adil Shah, had died, leaving behind a young and inexperienced successor, and that internal rivalries among Deccan rulers had further weakened Goa.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But there were also rivalries — and who got to control a bigger share of the work was hotly contested.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
4 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
-
While Iran has set ending the wars in Lebanon and the region as a condition for talks with the United States, Lebanon insists on representing itself.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
New wars are sustaining old energy regimes, driving price volatility through the same fossil-fuel supply chains the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program was designed to buffer against half a century ago.—
Diana Hernández,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And tourism-dependent Saipan - the site of one of World War II's bloodiest battles in the Pacific - was still reeling from Yutu when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Hunter said.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Fox Valley has lost a war hero – not the kind who fought the enemy with military prowess but who waged her battles with a fierce faith in God and a heart that beat with joy and compassion.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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