as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the softball rivals met in an epic confrontation on the last weekend of the summer
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Recent Examples of confrontations
Iran’s boycott underscores its refusal to engage diplomatically with the United States, even on humanitarian or regional peace initiatives, amid persistent mistrust after years of sanctions, recent military confrontations and escalating tensions across the region.
—
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
The confrontations, while risking a broader conflict, also pose a geopolitical opportunity for India, which has cautiously sought to improve relations with the Taliban, perhaps filling the diplomatic hole left by its regional rival, Pakistan, analysts said.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Experts said such confrontations, whether routine intercepts, training scrambles, or probing flights, are common worldwide and can become politically sensitive when publicized.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
An argument could be made that the show could’ve used more confrontations between them.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Power meetings, sudden opportunities, or straight-up confrontations with authority figures may pop this week.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 5 Oct. 2025
Viewers can also expect health emergencies, explosive confrontations and the fallout from a public scandal that threatens to divide the family even further.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The finale of the 20 episode series reveals Sonia’s motivations and brings a series of manipulations and confrontations to a close.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
The intellectual premise of the movie—true to Greaves’s modernist spirit—arises from the practical premise of its production, namely, a fusion of celebration and cerebration, unity of purpose and dialectical confrontations.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
The confrontations, while risking a broader conflict, also pose a geopolitical opportunity for India, which has cautiously sought to improve relations with the Taliban, perhaps filling the diplomatic hole left by its regional rival, Pakistan, analysts said.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Experts said such confrontations, whether routine intercepts, training scrambles, or probing flights, are common worldwide and can become politically sensitive when publicized.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
An argument could be made that the show could’ve used more confrontations between them.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Power meetings, sudden opportunities, or straight-up confrontations with authority figures may pop this week.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 5 Oct. 2025
Viewers can also expect health emergencies, explosive confrontations and the fallout from a public scandal that threatens to divide the family even further.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The finale of the 20 episode series reveals Sonia’s motivations and brings a series of manipulations and confrontations to a close.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
The intellectual premise of the movie—true to Greaves’s modernist spirit—arises from the practical premise of its production, namely, a fusion of celebration and cerebration, unity of purpose and dialectical confrontations.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontations
Noun
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The impact of geopolitics has surged, with national interests and strategic rivalries once again shaping global affairs and impacting business strategies.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
-
University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium hedges are more than just shrubbery around a field—they're witnesses to nearly a century of rivalries, victories, and legends that have graced Dooley Field.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some Virginia elections have turned into battles over which candidate will be toughest on data centers; others elections have already been lost over them.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
As things get predictably dark for the struggling couple – and for some unlucky flies that get to experience her rage first-hand – their battles are frequently hilarious.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Season-long struggles; still fighting Charlotte has five games left on the schedule, starting with North Texas (6-1, 2-1 American) next Friday night on ESPN2.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Oct. 2025
-
To commemorate World Dyslexia Day, the former journalist opened up about her experience and the struggles of not being diagnosed early enough.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some questions are visually supported by photographs, others by sound, while other duels focus on open questions, multiple choice and association.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The hope is more of a fiery attitude could lead to more duels won.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Even among those with magical abilities, familiar emotions and conflicts tend to surface.—
Karen Ostergren,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Still, viewing her objectively is impossible, according to Federico Navarrete, historian at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, because the race and class conflicts left by the conquest persist.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once on campus, he’s drawn into the intense world of Black Greek life, where rival fraternities battle through stepping competitions that blend rhythm, tradition, and pride.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Of their 16 meetings in all competitions between August 2004 and August 2007, 10 featured one goal or fewer.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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However, the reality is that peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US and Europe are clearly stalled, if at worse dead with many contentions from both sides surrounding security concerns and, importantly, trade sanctions.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confrontations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontations. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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