CONFRONTATION Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

confrontation

noun

ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shən

Definition of confrontation

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 According to court records, during the confrontation, Manson arrived at Hinman's home and slashed Hinman's face with a sword, cutting him from his left ear toward his chin. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Videos of the confrontations got hundreds of thousands of views on social media, a burst of attention for a conservative youth organization that is charting its next chapter after last year's assassination of its leader Charlie Kirk. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 Anyone expecting fireworks, or even a confrontation of any kind, may be sorely disappointed by how anticlimactic the moment proves. — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026 But this leads to secrets revealed, lies told and tortured confrontations, not just with others but most intensely with himself. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confrontation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontation

Noun

The Boot Bowl rivalry, which began in 2012, doesn’t have the longest history, but for fans in Burleson, few events bring the town together quite like it.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
Duane Davis guilty in murder of Tupac Shakur Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was murdered in Las Vegas, a jury has provided some closure in the saga of rivalry, revenge and retribution in the hip-hop world.

— Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of rivalry

Noun

Don’t shrink to avoid disagreement, but don’t make everything a battle for control either.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Mustafa, who was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and fled to Norway as a child, said the film was inspired by his encounter with a female Peshmerga sniper during the 2014 frontline battles, as female Kurdish fighters countered Islamic State attacks.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of battle

Noun

The revelation of the changes comes amid intense competition in the AI industry, as companies release updates to their large language models at a frenetic pace, each seeking to pull ahead of the other.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Consumer prices rose anyway, because without competition, Amazon could charge more in the long run.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of competition

Noun

Two duel threat QBs that both struggled early and then balled out in the second half!

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
The potential scenario of a Le Pen-Mélenchon second-round duel that polls suggest could end with a Le Pen victory could ultimately prompt some candidates to drop out, to concentrate votes behind mainstream alternatives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of duel

Noun

Addressing this prolonged trade conflict, Washington political news outlet POLITICO brought together four veteran journalists specializing in US-Canada relations and trade policy to analyze potential future trajectories.

— , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Since then, the conflict has taken on an ethnic as well as an international dimension, embroiling Sudan’s neighbors but also the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Iran.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of conflict

Noun

China has invested in cutting-edge intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (collectively known as ISR), as well as electronic warfare systems, drones, and missiles.

— HOLMES LIAO, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
Turkey’s defense industry has demonstrated another step forward in precision air-to-ground warfare with the successful live-fire testing of ASELSAN’s TOLUN deep-strike munition family from a Bayraktar AKINCI unmanned combat aerial vehicle.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of warfare

Noun

Trump on Wednesday said energy prices that have been elevated due to the Iran war will not come down until after the midterm elections, which are due in November.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
The senior Iranian official said the country has been rebuilding its military capabilities since the most intense period of the war ended in April and has enough missiles for a lengthy conflict.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of war

Browse Nearby Words

confront

confrontation

confrontational

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Confrontation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontation. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of confrontation

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

patina

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes