Synonyms of fighting

fighting 1 of 3

adjective

as in battling

Related Words

• battling
• warring
• savage
• cross
• vicious
• testy
• ugly
• hostile
• irritable
• disagreeable
• ornery
• peevish
• fretful
• petulant
• dyspeptic
• bilious
• fractious
• acidic
• antagonistic
• irascible
• grumpy
• surly
• bristly
• touchy
• querulous
• waspish
• choleric
• snappish
• grouchy
• pettish
• combative
• bearish
• crabby
• huffy
• cranky
• belligerent
• stroppy
• warlike
• confrontational
• aggressive
• ill-tempered
• militant
• prickly
• fierce
• gladiatorial
• assaultive
• feisty
• pugnacious
• bellicose
• quarrelsome
• ill-natured
• ill-humored
• agonistic
• snappy
• contentious
• argumentative
• hot-tempered
• scrappy
• rude
• chippy
• discordant
• brawly
• disputatious
• truculent

Dissimilar Words

• peaceful
• peaceable
• pacific
• nonaggressive
• uncombative
• friendly
• pleasant
• benevolent
• conciliatory
• nonbelligerent
• unwarlike
• quiet
• calm
• cordial
• gracious
• good-natured
• amiable
• unbelligerent
• ingratiating
• amicable
• sociable
• genial
• complaisant
• obliging
• easygoing
• uncontentious
• antimilitarist
• affable
• mild
• kindhearted
• relaxed
• tranquil
• serene
• gentle
• anti-imperialist
• benign
• kindly
• good-tempered

fighting

2 of 3

noun

as in combat

Related Words

• combat
• warfare
• battle
• skirmish
• engagement
• action
• civil war
• war
• world war
• cold war
• police action
• hostilities
• conflict
• holy war
• limited war
• conflagration
• hot war

Dissimilar Words

• peace
• disarmament
• demobilization
• demilitarization
• pacification
• truce
• calm
• tranquility
• peacefulness
• ceasefire

fighting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of fight

1

as in combating

to oppose (someone) in physical conflict

a proud people who have fiercely fought all invaders of their homeland

Synonyms & Similar Words

• battling
• combating
• dueling
• beating
• clashing (with)
• wrestling
• skirmishing (with)
• warring (against)
• hitting
• punching
• knocking
• slapping
• striking
• boxing
• jousting
• pounding
• scrimmaging (with)
• sparring
• battering
• smacking
• slugging
• banging
• slamming
• hammering
• brawling
• whacking
• bashing
• thumping
• smiting
• swatting
• buffeting
• swiping
• grappling
• slogging
• batting
• bumping
• pasting
• whaling
• belting
• scuffling
• clobbering
• bopping
• colliding
• socking
• tussling
• thwacking
• bludgeoning
• walloping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• submitting
• giving up
• surrendering

2

as in opposing

to strive to reduce or eliminate

a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to fighting prejudice

Synonyms & Similar Words

• opposing
• combating
• battling
• countering
• resisting
• confronting
• contending (with)
• withstanding
• oppugning
• thwarting
• facing
• frustrating
• foiling
• checkmating
• baffling
• defying
• meeting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• promoting
• advancing
• encouraging
• fostering
• cultivating
• suffering
• furthering
• forwarding
• supporting
• bearing
• enduring
• nurturing
• advocating
• abiding
• nourishing
• upholding
• backing
• endorsing
• championing

3

as in competing

to engage in a contest

everyone on that street seems to be fighting to see who can create the gaudiest holiday lighting display

Synonyms & Similar Words

• competing
• contending
• battling
• racing
• vying
• rivaling
• playing
• facing off
• challenging
• maneuvering
• engaging
• jostling
• jockeying
• working
• trying out
• going out
• training

4

as in bickering

to express different opinions about something often angrily

if you kids continue to fight, I'm turning this car around and we're heading back home!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bickering
• arguing
• quarreling
• clashing
• brawling
• wrangling
• squabbling
• disputing
• debating
• scrapping
• discussing
• rowing
• controverting
• hassling
• quibbling
• spatting
• falling out
• altercating
• jarring
• tiffing
• argufying
• brabbling
• contesting
• mixing it up
• locking horns
• contending
• butting heads
• bandying words
• protesting
• tangling
• challenging
• daring
• kicking
• defying
• objecting
• fussing
• nitpicking
• considering
• caviling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coexisting
• getting along
• accepting
• agreeing
• consenting
• concurring
• assenting

5

as in resisting

to refuse to give in to

I tried to fight the temptation to eat another cookie—and lost

Synonyms & Similar Words

• resisting
• opposing
• withstanding
• repelling
• combating
• bucking
• defying
• battling
• contesting
• thwarting
• countering
• contending (with)
• stemming
• contradicting
• challenging
• hindering
• disputing
• obstructing
• checking
• frustrating
• balking
• foiling
• baffling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• submitting (to)
• yielding (to)
• bowing (to)
• surrendering (to)
• succumbing (to)
• stooping (to)
• giving in (to)
• capitulating (to)
• knuckling under (to)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fighting

Adjective

After having two children and settling into post-fighting life on her farm in Riverside, Rousey seriously began to consider an MMA return last year. — CBS News, 17 May 2026

Speaking ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Johnson told the BBC that the troops should be sent to peaceful regions in non-fighting roles. — ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026

But this story isn’t just for pro-fighting fans. — Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Oct. 2025

Some had joined Ukrainian combat units as volunteers, while others have sought to assist the Ukrainian people in non-fighting capacities. — Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023

But the computer model couldn’t distinguish fighting roosters from non-fighting roosters. — Jeff Horwitz, WSJ, 17 Oct. 2021

Noun

Despite these costs, Paramount remains committed to fighting, reportedly considering a Supreme Court appeal. — Rick Ellis, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

Fierce competition The third Sunday of every month, SPW hosts its main fighting event at Soccer World in Elk Grove. — Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Heavy fighting in the Middle East again threatened to slow the global flow of oil and gas. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

For years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, people largely appeared complacent about the fighting. — Dasha Litvinova, Fortune, 24 July 2026

Heavy fighting in the Middle East throughout the week again threatened to slow the global flow of oil and gas. — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

According to her profile in the Stunts Unlimited Directory, Dalton is a stuntwoman with a background in dance, specializing in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, sword fighting, and the use of weapons on set. — Anna Zucca, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026

The protein-rich food contains vitamins, minerals, cholesterol-fighting lecithin, and hormone-balancing phytoestrogens. — Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 23 July 2026

The fighting and pressure on shipping pushed Brent crude prices above $98 for the first time since early June. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 23 July 2026

Verb

Residents are fighting a proposal to build 192 apartments in seven buildings on a vacant slope near the Oceanside-Vista border just south of state Route 78. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2026

That video cast Perry as a solider fighting battle in wartime scenes. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026

Younger millennials are still fighting the battle their older counterparts just won — and the numbers show how wide the gap has gotten. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 July 2026

About 300 aircraft and 5,300 people were involved in fighting the fires. — ABC News, 25 July 2026

The latest salvos appeared to indicate an escalation in fighting in a second front in the Iran war. — Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 25 July 2026

While the issue of transgender athletes in college sports is still an issue worth fighting, many people are far more concerned with this happening at the youth and high school level, something that OutKick has covered extensively in the past. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026

Los Angeles is one of many cities across the nation fighting an epic battle to solve a multibillion-dollar problem buried underground. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Global oil prices have climbed sharply since the US and Iran resumed fighting over a week ago, imperiling peace talks. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 July 2026