as in discord
a lack of agreement or harmony
there was friction between the two sides of the family
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Recent Examples of friction
Their calculations analyzed factors including geometry, friction, as well as motion dynamics to find out how effectively the chains could wrap around drone rotors during flight.
—
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
Maxi and Midi Dresses Longer silhouettes can trap heat and increase friction.
—Malana Vantyler, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Amid skyrocketing tourist numbers—Japan welcomes more than 40 million visitors a year—a lack of timeliness and no-shows have become a major cause of friction between tourists and Japanese in the hospitality industry.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2026
There’s also concern about the war’s drag on US-China ties, a relationship Beijing wants to keep steady in order to reduce friction on its own global ambitions.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for friction
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
Maxi and Midi Dresses Longer silhouettes can trap heat and increase friction.
—Malana Vantyler, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Amid skyrocketing tourist numbers—Japan welcomes more than 40 million visitors a year—a lack of timeliness and no-shows have become a major cause of friction between tourists and Japanese in the hospitality industry.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2026
There’s also concern about the war’s drag on US-China ties, a relationship Beijing wants to keep steady in order to reduce friction on its own global ambitions.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for friction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for friction
Noun
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Geopolitical turmoil, tax hikes on the wealthy and political discord have driven more wealthy to seek backup plans and residency in other countries.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
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Instead, a combination of internal disputes, instability around Alvaro Arbeloa’s position and the fact that several players are facing an uncertain future means the picture is one of discord and despondency.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
Noun
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And deep into the invasion of Ukraine, as US support for Kyiv dwindles, European intelligence agencies have significant motivation to suggest mounting strife and paranoia in the Kremlin.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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For some on the right, Obama’s remark is the most emblematic moment of his presidency, hauled out again and again by Fox News, Breitbart, and other right-leaning news outlets to remind them of his responsibility for racial strife.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2026
Noun
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But, though the guns of war were a decade in the past, the nation had not escaped the spectre of conflict.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Under previous administrations, including President Barack Obama’s, immigration laws were enforced without this kind of performative conflict.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Noun
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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
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The sport of off-roading suffers from a fundamental discordance: The desire to get out into nature and the irreparable harm inherent in the process of off-roading.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The stabbing of two men in a Jewish neighborhood in London appears to be the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the American-Israeli war against Iran, in late February.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Thirty-two ships have been hit with missiles since the beginning of the war, resulting in 10 deaths and at least a dozen injuries, according to the International Maritime Organization, or IMO.—
Alejandra Jaramillo,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Noun
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At a time when the regime is desperate to project a united front against the US and Israel, discontent over who can do what online is creating a very public schism across a swathe of Iranian society.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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The schism was partially resolved through high-level meetings between the agencies and a memorandum of understanding forged last August.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
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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
Noun
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The terrorist group has been largely decapitated and is unable to wage meaningful counter-warfare against Israel and its allies, but is believed to still boast significant caches of weaponry that could threaten the long-term peace of the future Palestine.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
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The country’s ability to credibly threaten commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz actually hinges on multiple layers of cheap and unconventional warfare systems – drones, mines and a fleet of small attack boats, which are harder to detect than traditional naval assets.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Friction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friction. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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