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strife

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of strife

1 a lack of agreement or harmony

  • in order to avoid family strife, the children spend equal time during the holidays with both of their grandmothers
Synonyms of strife

conflict, disaccord, discord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dissension (also dissention), dissent, dissidence, dissonance, disunion, disunity, division, friction, infighting, inharmony, schism, variance, war, warfare
Words Related to strife

clash, collision, competition, contention

altercation, argument, bicker, brawl, debate, disagreement, dispute, divide, fissure

falling-out, fight, hassle, jar, miff, mix-up, quarrel, row, run-in, scrap, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle

incompatibility, incongruence, incongruity, incongruousness, inconsistence, inconsistency, inconsonance, inharmoniousness

animosity, antagonism, antipathy, cold war, enmity, hostility, ill will, rancor
Near Antonyms of strife

concurrence, cooperation
Antonyms of strife

accord, agreement, concord, concordance, harmony, peace

2 an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another

  • bitter strife between the two political factions
Synonyms of strife

ball game, battle, combat, competition, conflict, confrontation, contention, contest, dogfight, duel, face-off, grapple, match, rivalry, struggle, sweepstakes (also sweep-stake), tug-of-war, war, warfare
Words Related to strife

horse race, nail-biter

showdown

clash, collision, discord, friction

argument, controversy, debate, disagreement, disputation, dispute, dissension (also dissention), quarrel, row, wrangle
Near Antonyms of strife

concord, harmony, peace

Synonym Discussion of strife

discord, strife, conflict, contention, dissension, variance mean a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony. discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.
    • a political party long racked by discord
strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.
    • during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife
conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.
    • the conflict of freedom and responsibility
contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.
    • several points of contention about the new zoning law
dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.
    • religious dissension threatened to split the colony
variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.
    • cultural variances that work against a national identity

Learn More about strife

  1. See words that rhyme with strife Dictionary: Definition of strife Spanish Central: Translation of strife Nglish: Translation of strife for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of strife for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about strife

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