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
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 Jan. 2026
The toolkit avoids direct discussion of the cultural conflicts that have erupted in the MAGA era between red states that vote heavily Republican and blue states that favor Democrats.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Since taking office, the president has made significant foreign policy decisions, from an on-the-ground operation to seize the leader of Venezuela, ratcheting tensions with Europe in an effort to seize Greenland and efforts to achieve peace in global conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 20 Jan. 2026
Rescheduling, however, would not legalize cannabis federally, resolve past criminal justice harms, or eliminate the broader legal conflicts between state markets and federal law.
—Javier Hasse, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Such expectations frequently collide with reality, causing frustration such as conflicts on the road and career angst.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Critical minerals, for example, now play a role similar to that of oil in past conflicts and economic shocks.
—Mirek Dusek, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2026
Davos won’t deliver a conclusion to these conflicts, which in any case pale in comparison to the fracas over Greenland and NATO.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
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
Noun
The board has been envisioned as a technocratic body designed to resolve conflicts around the world, branching out from its original conception as a body designed to solve the war in Gaza.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 Jan. 2026
The toolkit avoids direct discussion of the cultural conflicts that have erupted in the MAGA era between red states that vote heavily Republican and blue states that favor Democrats.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Since taking office, the president has made significant foreign policy decisions, from an on-the-ground operation to seize the leader of Venezuela, ratcheting tensions with Europe in an effort to seize Greenland and efforts to achieve peace in global conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 20 Jan. 2026
Rescheduling, however, would not legalize cannabis federally, resolve past criminal justice harms, or eliminate the broader legal conflicts between state markets and federal law.
—Javier Hasse, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Such expectations frequently collide with reality, causing frustration such as conflicts on the road and career angst.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Critical minerals, for example, now play a role similar to that of oil in past conflicts and economic shocks.
—Mirek Dusek, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2026
Davos won’t deliver a conclusion to these conflicts, which in any case pale in comparison to the fracas over Greenland and NATO.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
-
By April, new tariffs and trade frictions triggered some of the most significant trade actions in decades.—
Joe Ngai,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Trade and diplomatic frictions aside, Japanese companies are positive on business growth, with the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey showing that sentiment among Japanese companies mostly improved in the fourth quarter, especially among small manufacturers.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The investigation into the killing of a US citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this week is being complicated by clashes between federal and local officials, with the FBI taking control over the objections of Governor Tim Walz.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The powerful Sun clashes with Chiron by way of your chatter quadrant and your habit zone, encouraging you to address a tricky situation at work or in your neighborhood with courageous calm.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those presidents asked for permission to conduct hostilities because the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, unambiguously vests the war power in Congress.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Almost three years since the start of the Sudanese civil war, there are few signs of the hostilities ending soon, with experts fearing the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis could yet worsen.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets will meet again tonight in a matchup that remains one of the NBA's most heated rivalries, even as both franchises enter a rebuilding phase.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Instead, the book spends over 300 pages meticulously detailing abusers, lovers, film schedules, fashion fittings, trips, rivalries and acting lessons.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homes in both countries when border skirmishes broke out for the second time this year.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Dec. 2025
-
For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border – a dispute that has occasionally exploded into skirmishes and fighting.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Even as the White House keeps military options on the table for Greenland, the president highlighted his efforts to end wars overseas.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The Investment Case For Sports Ownership Major sports leagues in North America have survived pandemics, labor disputes, wars, and economic crises.—
Fred Hubler,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is because monetary policy utterly lacks the excitement of battles or uprisings and the drama of high-level diplomacy.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The Patriots are bound for the AFC Championship Game because their defense has afforded Maye enough time to work through his mistakes in the first two playoff games of his career, both battles against elite defenses.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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