as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the softball rivals met in an epic confrontation on the last weekend of the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 confrontation
Advertisement The underlying drivers of confrontation remain intact for each of the key participants.
—
Pegah Banihashemi, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Police have said Lil Tjay instigated a confrontation with Offset and his entourage in the lead-up to the gunfire.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
This measure is mostly preventative and coyotes typically won’t seek a confrontation.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The problem is this can create confrontations in all your one-on-one relationships, especially spouses, partners and close friends.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Pegah Banihashemi, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Police have said Lil Tjay instigated a confrontation with Offset and his entourage in the lead-up to the gunfire.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
This measure is mostly preventative and coyotes typically won’t seek a confrontation.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The problem is this can create confrontations in all your one-on-one relationships, especially spouses, partners and close friends.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontation
Noun
-
The Penguins showed a video tribute honoring Ovechkin and his longstanding rivalry with Crosby during a television timeout in the second period.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The couple has previously playfully acknowledged their rivalry.—
Helen Murphy,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Battle of Kings Mountain, where the Patriots won a 1780 battle just west of Charlotte, and a recreation of British loyalist leader Maj.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League, Patel drove in five runs and scored a run to lead Irvine to an 8-2 victory over Portola.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Kennedy, for all her struggles, had a salty irrepressibility.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
In his first remarks in Algiers, Leo tied his current appeal for peace to Algeria’s struggle for independence from France, obtained in 1962.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But neither is an experienced starter so general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley will almost certainly seek training camp competition for each role.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The drama was announced as having been selected for Cannes’ main competition at the festival’s traditional press conference in Paris on Thursday.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Cologne eased its Bundesliga relegation worries on Sunday, Stuttgart took another step toward Champions League qualification and Freiburg defeated Mainz 1-0 away in a duel between European contenders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
At its core, this was a legendary duel between Steph Curry and … Aaron Gordon?—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
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,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The conflict had a 1% negative impact on organic growth in the quarter, LVMH said in a statement.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Other major targets include an Indian firm specializing in surveillance and electronic warfare, an AI solutions company, and a global web design agency.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Over more than four years of Russia’s invasion and highly technological drone warfare, Kyiv has built considerable expertise in countering Shahed drones in particular, which Russia uses regularly on Ukrainian territory.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But now many of those same factions are expressing open revulsion at the Iran war, rupturing relationships that were supposed to usher in a new international order.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The war on inflation could be in for a major setback due to the Iran war.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confrontation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontation. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
