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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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 When inevitable operational friction occurs, teams hesitate to make hard calls, pushing decisions back up to the C-suite or creating informal workarounds that drain momentum. — Susana Cabrera, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The shocking details of the crime and its outcome sparked a media frenzy, and Lamb’s controversial editorial choices create friction with everyone from Jules to Rupert, from the union workers operating the printing presses to Scotland Yard. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 The structural backbones of the phalanges are 3D-printed from PLA, while soft silicone interfaces provide friction and compliance when the fingers contact a branch. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026 But again, the philosophy is to reduce friction, not eliminate the human side of the legal experience. — Jason Phillips, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for friction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for friction

Noun

Party discord has also been a problem as leaders like Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, have developed their own fundraising and organizing infrastructure to harness political support independent of the state party.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
There’s discord between the House of Representatives and the Senate on the deadline to vote on the extension, but the earliest that could happen is September 30 and the latest is December 11.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of discord

Noun

At its heart are two families on different sides of a financial divide who intersect when Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy heir, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung), attempts to make a film about labor strife.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
This sport is rooted in traditions that span generations and have endured through two world wars, economic booms, depressions and social strife.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of strife

Noun

Addressing this prolonged trade conflict, Washington political news outlet POLITICO brought together four veteran journalists specializing in US-Canada relations and trade policy to analyze potential future trajectories.

— , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Since then, the conflict has taken on an ethnic as well as an international dimension, embroiling Sudan’s neighbors but also the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Iran.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 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 Middle East war and the resulting shipping disruption through the Strait of Hormuz drove up global commodity costs, further squeezing Beijing's own appetite for commodity imports.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Iran says wedding struck Iranians were fearful that the new strikes signaled war could restart at full throttle.

— Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of war

Noun

Yet, a deep ideological schism remains over what victory for the Islamic Republic should look like.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
This turns into a big argument about Issa being a weird little guy, and suddenly there are multiple potential roommate schisms in the house.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of schism

Noun

China has invested in cutting-edge intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (collectively known as ISR), as well as electronic warfare systems, drones, and missiles.

— HOLMES LIAO, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
Turkey’s defense industry has demonstrated another step forward in precision air-to-ground warfare with the successful live-fire testing of ASELSAN’s TOLUN deep-strike munition family from a Bayraktar AKINCI unmanned combat aerial vehicle.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of warfare

Browse Nearby Words

fricassees

friction

frictionless

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Style

“Friction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friction. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of friction

noun

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