FRICTION Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

friction

noun

ˈfrik-shən

Definition of friction

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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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 The trailer promised friction between the two partners as they’re reluctantly forced to work together. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 24 July 2026 Trust and safety systems should stop bad actors without creating unnecessary friction for honest users. — Larry Magid, Mercury News, 23 July 2026 Order-processing automation, materials-data lookup and document handling are exactly the high-friction, low-risk tasks midsize plants are drowning in. — Sanjay Brahmawar, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 According to her, going to bed with wet hair can cause breakage due to friction or even irritation and fungal growth on the scalp. — Sherri Gordon, Health, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for friction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for friction

Noun

Meena said his contract was terminated prematurely, a dispute highlighting internal discord.

— Catherine Muccigrosso July 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
In a year where everything Skubal does has been fair game for discussion and discord, the barbs surrounding the WBC still have not faded.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of discord

Noun

An intervention would risk shattering Lebanon, igniting sectarian strife, and further destabilizing the entire region, potentially undermining Sharaa's government.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Next year’s game is scheduled for the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field for the first time since 1990, but is threatened by possible labor strife.

— Ronald Blum, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

Definition of strife

Noun

The Iranian military fired six missiles on Jordan today, according to the Jordan Armed Forces, as the regional conflict expands.

— Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Lario stressed that hunger and conflict often reinforce one another, creating a cycle that is difficult to break without greater stability.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026

Definition of conflict

Noun

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
The songs bounce from discordance and disorientation to harmoniousness and repose — even in the uneasy moments, the songs don't sink.

— Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Definition of discordance

Noun

However, the ruling has tremendous implications for regional politics--and for any future war between the United States and China.

— Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
Shell’s latest quarterly profits soared to their second-highest levels in the company’s history as the US-Iran war caused a surge in global oil prices.

— Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026

Definition of war

Noun

Lowe used to be a member of a much larger and more popular right-wing populist party, Nigel Farage’s Reform, but he was forced out in an enjoyably catty and melodramatic schism after calling for mass deportations.

— Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
The Vatican declared the group of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in schism after the SSPX consecrated four bishops in Switzerland without Pope Leo XIV’s approval this month.

— Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026

Definition of schism

Noun

Without Fedorov in charge of the ministry of defense, Ukraine’s revolution in warfare will lose its standard-bearer and a lot of its momentum—just when those innovations appeared to be paying off.

— Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Traditional anti-submarine warfare tools are not optimized for small, slow, quiet autonomous vehicles.

— Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026

Definition of warfare

Browse Nearby Words

fricassees

friction

frictionless

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“Friction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friction. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of friction

noun

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