strife

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun strife contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of strife are conflict, contention, discord, dissension, and variance. While all these words mean "a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony," 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

When is it sensible to use conflict instead of strife?

While the synonyms conflict and strife are close in meaning, 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

In what contexts can contention take the place of strife?

The words contention and strife can be used in similar contexts, but contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

several points of contention about the new zoning law

When could discord be used to replace strife?

While in some cases nearly identical to strife, discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.

a political party long racked by discord

When might dissension be a better fit than strife?

The words dissension and strife are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

religious dissension threatened to split the colony

When would variance be a good substitute for strife?

In some situations, the words variance and strife are roughly equivalent. However, 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

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 strife In the absence of a viable, united, and organized alternative inside or outside Iran, the fall of the Islamic Republic might send the country into a period of civil strife—or lead to a military dictatorship determined to obtain nuclear deterrence. Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025 Peacock’s latest cop drama shines an unflinching light on a pair of siblings divided by the ongoing strife of the American opioid crisis. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 16 June 2025 When the national government in Mogadishu collapsed in 1991, after years of strife, Somaliland broke away. Kate Bartlett, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025 Not every center with substantial research output was free from internal strife, however. Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for strife
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strife
Noun
  • More: Trump says US intel briefed him about how Iran wants to assassinate him to sow discord in US Tehran’s regional power also has been eroded by the death of its strongest regional ally, Syrian strongman Bashir al-Assad.
    Josh Meyer, USA Today, 23 June 2025
  • Success, progress and wins tend to naturally quiet the discord.
    Joe Altieri, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • McIntyre believes their rivalry was proof that personal tension can enhance storytelling.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • The Wolf Pack have fallen behind in the Mountain West in recent years, and are staying in the conference while others head to the Pac-12, so that rivalry flame is dying.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • This fundamental difference has contributed to growing friction, along with her friend's disregard for boundaries.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 21 June 2025
  • Both the novelist’s oeuvre and the HBO drama are set among the upper echelons of New York society in the late 19th century, documenting frictions both large (the rise of a new industrial elite) and small (imperceptible breaches of etiquette).
    Alison Herman, Variety, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Even the quiet, eyebrow-raising final moments, which suggest that the struggle for economic justice and equality might be utterly pointless, feel less like a philosophy and more like a real-life capitalist desire for more, more, more.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 28 June 2025
  • The struggle was so real that Reynolds unveiled a special musical production for McElhenney's birthday devoted to teaching fans the pronunciation of his costar's last name, enlisting the help of some of his famous friends as well as members of the club's hometown.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • During the recent conflict, the Israeli Air Force demonstrated an impressive capability to reach targets deep inside Iran while relying on its aged Boeing 707 tankers for refueling its fighter jets.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Despite the flare-up, Wedbush technology analyst Dan Ives expects the conflict between Musk and Mr. Trump to die down moving forward.
    Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • After a competitive bidding battle, Amazon MGM Studios has landed the package for a live-action movie revolving around the Bratz doll line with Kim Kardashian and Picturestart on board to produce.
    Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 June 2025
  • While the legal battle is ongoing, the judge's ruling is an early win for the states and a setback for the Trump administration.
    Camila Domonoske, NPR, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • After Hamas conducted a surprise attack against Israel in October 2023, the group was backed in the ensuing war with Israel by Iran and its Axis of Resistance coalition of non-state actors in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
  • Among the first targets was Iran’s main center for uranium enrichment, which is in what city? 3 of 11 President Trump is considering supporting Israel in the war and deploying a 30,000-pound bomb, called a Massive Ordnance Penetrator, to attack an Iranian nuclear site buried deep in a mountain.
    New York Times, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • In general, Ukrainian electronic warfare systems are able to jam approximately half of the incoming drones, especially those flying at lower altitudes.
    Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • The United States would be, to put it mildly, naïve to believe that the accumulation of intelligence and modern warfare knowledge by North Korea, China and Iran presents no threat to the United States.
    Laura Thornton, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Strife.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strife. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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