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 After years of strife for the California film and television industry, Gov. Gavin Newsom in October proposed a significant increase to the overall cap on incentives, more than doubling it from $330 million to $750M annually. Katie Campione, Deadline, 11 May 2025 The status allows people already in the United States to live and work legally because their native countries are deemed unsafe for return due to natural disaster or civil strife. Time, 2 May 2025 The status allows people already in the United States to live and work legally because their native countries are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster or civil strife. Mark Sherman and Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025 Michelle Obama is throwing more cold water on rumors of marital strife with the ex-commander in chief. Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for strife
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strife
Noun
  • What all of these cases have in common is a truly gigantic deer, and then, sadly, lots of discord within the hunting community.
    Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 15 May 2025
  • In addition to the discord within the athletic department, Ritz acknowledged in an April 11 email to the community that he’s also dealt with two other serious issues involving staffers.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • This is a space that is ripe for standardization, the entry of new players in the market, and more vendor rivalries and drama.
    John Burek, PC Magazine, 20 May 2025
  • At times, the rivalry between the players has become the biggest topic of discussion in sports and eclipsed the athletic world, raising issues of race and gender equality.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • Those friction points are the real roadmap to a better UX.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • Ander Herrera was yet another player to have friction with Van Gaal at United (the manager once told him off for shooting — and scoring — with a first-time effort instead of taking a touch).
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • Barry Keoghan is sharing something deeply personal about his struggle with sobriety.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 24 May 2025
  • The Duchess of Sussex launched her lifestyle brand, As ever, in March, and has discussed some of the struggles of starting a business on the podcast.
    Stephanie Petit, People.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • The White House has said there is no conflict and that the president is acting in the interests of the American public and not his own.
    Susan Heavey, USA Today, 15 May 2025
  • The child’s interest became the starting point to explore the moral and human conflict.
    Alissa Simon, Variety, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • As a 60-person battle royale, matches can be extremely long and, in tournament play, repeat over and over for hours until a winning team can be crowned.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2025
  • These include: Battlefields of the American Revolution: This pane of 15 Forever stamps features artwork and photography commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown, marking the upcoming quarter-millennium of the American Revolution.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • People are preparing for the thought that America might not be with us if this land war spreads, and Putin follows in the role of the Soviet Union and puts tanks in Czechoslovakia and just takes over.
    Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 May 2025
  • After months of escalating tariffs between the world’s two largest economies, the trade war between the U.S. and China is entering a new chapter – a steep reduction of their respective tariffs for 90 days as the two countries continue trade talk this week.
    Dian Zhang, USA Today, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • The exercises were designed, NATO said, to hone their skills, military capabilities and cooperation for extreme cold weather warfare.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 May 2025
  • Anti-Israel forces have a long-running strategy called Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, which calls for governments, universities and corporations to engage in forms of economic warfare against Israel.
    Alma Hernandez, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Strife.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strife. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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