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friction

noun

ˈfrik-shən How to pronounce friction (audio)
Definition of frictionnext
as in discord
a lack of agreement or harmony there was friction between the two sides of the family

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 friction Connected vehicles can instead surface those options through infotainment systems at the moment customers need them, improving convenience without adding friction. — Stacey Moser, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 When power changes in organizations, companies end up having friction to adapt to that power. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Six artists increasingly involved in their own music would seem like a recipe for creative friction. — Crystal Bell, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026 But the Mexico City opening gets at the friction within Remm’s kingdom. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for friction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for friction
  1. discord
  2. strife
  3. conflict
  4. discordance
  5. war
  6. schism
  7. discordancy
  8. warfare
Noun
  • The woman’s vanity and the husband’s forgetfulness collide to sow chaos and discord in the house.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The discord meant the program spent much of the summer hiring replacement correspondents, including Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion writer with no experience as a TV journalist.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of discord
Noun
  • October, the best time in the baseball calendar, will be at least a little different this year because of the labor strife that awaits in the offseason.
    — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Congress created temporary protections in 1990 TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.
    — Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of strife
Noun
  • The indirect talks come as the conflict, which is entering its eighth month, has caused global economic damage and badly battered Iran.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Far more famous conflicts had a bond element, even a central one, Wigglesworth found.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of conflict
Noun
  • And so my conversation with Noah centered on the idea of a space where there would be a discordance between what the physical space looked like and what was happening emotionally in that room.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Part of that discordance might be the fact that as a genre, rock has historically been difficult to define.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2025
Definition of discordance
Noun
  • The diplomatic push comes as physical supply data shows the war’s toll on the oil market easing.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • That deal seeks to temporarily manage shipping traffic on what was seen as an international waterway before the war.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • The book follows this story for the critical eight years between 1527 and 1535, which led to the enduring schism that created the Church of England.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
  • But schisms and heel digging are probably inevitable in such uncertain fields, Catling says.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of schism
Noun
  • The discordancy is so intriguing — like learning that Katharine Graham went to nude encounter sessions at Esalen, or Alan Greenspan was once in a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
Definition of discordancy
Noun
  • Possible payloads include kinetic effects and electronic warfare equipment.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The wisdom of fully incorporating AI into warfare has already been questioned by some research.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of warfare

Browse Nearby Words

fricassees
friction
frictionless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Friction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friction. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on friction

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about friction

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