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
Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
That's not to minimize our current conflicts.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
In future conflicts, the drone could become a key factor in how modern wars are fought.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Lebanon's Armed Forces (LAF) has historically stayed on the sidelines of major conflicts with Israel, and has not confronted its military in recent months.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Liz’s role in The Change brings simmering conflicts to the surface, unraveling the fabric of the family just as the nation itself stands on edge during an alarming and challenging time of uncertainty.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
For Mateus, as for filmmakers in her personal pantheon, conflicts at hand stem inextricably from local and national history and also from oceanic depths of experience, too easily dismissed as folklore, from which individual identity and group identification emerge.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
The official inauguration, originally scheduled for July 3, 2025, was postponed to the last quarter of the year due to regional conflicts.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Most conflicts are decided by the tribunal of public opinion.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
This trend conflicts with how deeply rural populations value family and friendship, and fails to capture how rural populations interact with the indoor spaces that are central to their daily lives.
—William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 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
In addition, the act contains a preemption provision that expresses that no state can enforce a law that conflicts with the act.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
These cultural differences stoked the media fires further, as Verrett is larger than life in every sense, unapologetically himself and proud of it, which conflicts with Norwegian janteloven.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Optical precision, for instance, often conflicts with mechanical strength.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
Observers say other violent conflicts arise from communal and ethnic tensions, as well as disputes between farmers and herders over limited access to land and water resources.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
That's not to minimize our current conflicts.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
In future conflicts, the drone could become a key factor in how modern wars are fought.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Lebanon's Armed Forces (LAF) has historically stayed on the sidelines of major conflicts with Israel, and has not confronted its military in recent months.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Liz’s role in The Change brings simmering conflicts to the surface, unraveling the fabric of the family just as the nation itself stands on edge during an alarming and challenging time of uncertainty.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
For Mateus, as for filmmakers in her personal pantheon, conflicts at hand stem inextricably from local and national history and also from oceanic depths of experience, too easily dismissed as folklore, from which individual identity and group identification emerge.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
The official inauguration, originally scheduled for July 3, 2025, was postponed to the last quarter of the year due to regional conflicts.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Most conflicts are decided by the tribunal of public opinion.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
That law conflicts with the state constitution, Womack said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
This trend conflicts with how deeply rural populations value family and friendship, and fails to capture how rural populations interact with the indoor spaces that are central to their daily lives.
—William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 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
In addition, the act contains a preemption provision that expresses that no state can enforce a law that conflicts with the act.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
These cultural differences stoked the media fires further, as Verrett is larger than life in every sense, unapologetically himself and proud of it, which conflicts with Norwegian janteloven.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Optical precision, for instance, often conflicts with mechanical strength.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
-
Take soybeans, a key American export that saw Chinese purchases plunge this year over trade frictions.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Indexing or eliminating caps would shift the burden from those least able to pay and smooth market frictions hurting families of all ages.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On Friday, clashes between protesters and immigration agents erupted near a middle school in Evanston, a suburb north of Chicago.—
NPR,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Early on, federal agents guarding the building deployed tear gas and shot pepper balls in clashes with protesters and arrested some of them, including some charged with felonies on suspicion of assaulting or blocking officers.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
One can be sure that the utility of having hostilities with Venezuela for this case is not lost on the administration.—
David Smilde,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Trump will use the lull in hostilities to build a secure rare earths supply chain.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Beijing’s talent-friendly move could also give it a boost amid continuing trade tensions and tech rivalries with Washington, which has imposed export controls on chips and other advanced technology that are spurring China to develop its own.—
Peter Guo,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Lewis, a tight end at Wisconsin from 2004-07, traces his appreciation for rivalries to his Big Ten roots.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Amid the skirmishes that ensued, federal agents fired a chemical agent toward a protester at near-point-blank range, and security personnel later opened fire on a U-Haul truck that had backed up toward a barrier on the island’s bridge, injuring the driver and an apparent bystander.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Activists literally or figuratively flying the antifa flag have long been among the subset of people who go to protests to destroy property and get into violent skirmishes with far-right protestors (like the Proud Boys).—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Over the course of human evolution, there were pandemics, there were wars, but people didn't die from Alzheimer's disease or diabetes or heart disease.—
Dominique Mosbergen,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In an era of tariffs and global trade wars, brands can’t rely on low prices as a crutch—the model is eroding under scrutiny.—
Catherine Salfino,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Nor are the ongoing battles to comply with rules both at home and abroad.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The court battles that followed won the tribe a crucial gaming compact, and the ability to buy the land that would become home to Sky River Casino.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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