conflict
1 of 2noun
con·flict ˈkän-ˌflikt 
1
: fight, battle, war
an armed conflict
2
a
: competitive or opposing action of incompatibles : antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons)
a conflict of principles
b
: mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands
His conscience was in conflict with his duty.
3
: the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction
The conflict in the play is between the king and the archbishop.
conflictful
ˈkän-ˌflikt-fəl
adjective conflictual
kän-ˈflik-chə-wəl
adjective kən-
-chəl
-shwəl
-chü-əl
conflict
2 of 2verb
con·flict kən-ˈflikt
ˈkän-ˌflikt
conflicted; conflicting; conflicts
intransitive verb
1
: to be different, opposed, or contradictory : to fail to be in agreement or accord
His statement conflicts with the facts.
2
archaic : to contend in warfare
confliction
kən-ˈflik-shən
noun kän-
conflictive
kən-ˈflik-tiv
adjective ˈkän-ˌflik-
Synonyms
Noun
- disaccord
- discord
- discordance
- discordancy
- disharmony
- dissension
- dissention
- dissent
- dissidence
- dissonance
- disunion
- disunity
- division
- friction
- infighting
- inharmony
- schism
- strife
- variance
- war
- warfare
Verb
- clash
- collide
- disaccord
- discord
- jar
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun In great wars—the American Civil War, the First and Second World Wars—the largest casualties are suffered just before the conflicts end. 
Steve Forbes, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2009 At a moment when the country was still in the throes of the conflict over Vietnam, it was refreshing to see the best of America. Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 … for work-family conflicts to disappear, two rock-ribbed institutions must change: the whole concept of children's care, and the way the workplace works. Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983 The basic conflict in the novel is, of course, between the life on the river, where Huck finds innocence, brotherhood with man, and communion with nature, and life ashore, where, stage by stage, he discovers the corruption of society … Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, (1975) 1976 a conflict between two gangs recent violent conflict in the region Everyone in my family always tries to avoid conflict. There was inevitable conflict over what to name the group. They're having serious conflicts over the budget. I don't see any conflicts between the theories. You'll need to resolve the conflict between your parents' plans for you and your own ambitions. Verb Mr. van Wolferen says the U.S. must do more: It has to openly explain to Japan that it wants a managed-trade deal in order to end the bickering between the two nations, a move that would conflict with America's free-trade rhetoric. David P. Hamilton, Wall Street Journal, 8 June 1995 The expectations about motherhood as full-time job that this situation created conflicted with the philosophy of the women's movement of the l960's. Anita Shreve, New York Times Magazine, 2l Nov. 1982 Lily smiled faintly at the injunction to take her tea strong. It was the temptation she was always struggling to resist. Her craving for the keen stimulant was forever conflicting with that other craving for sleep … Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905 Reports conflicted on how many people were involved. his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report See More
Steve Forbes, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2009 At a moment when the country was still in the throes of the conflict over Vietnam, it was refreshing to see the best of America. Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 … for work-family conflicts to disappear, two rock-ribbed institutions must change: the whole concept of children's care, and the way the workplace works. Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983 The basic conflict in the novel is, of course, between the life on the river, where Huck finds innocence, brotherhood with man, and communion with nature, and life ashore, where, stage by stage, he discovers the corruption of society … Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, (1975) 1976 a conflict between two gangs recent violent conflict in the region Everyone in my family always tries to avoid conflict. There was inevitable conflict over what to name the group. They're having serious conflicts over the budget. I don't see any conflicts between the theories. You'll need to resolve the conflict between your parents' plans for you and your own ambitions. Verb Mr. van Wolferen says the U.S. must do more: It has to openly explain to Japan that it wants a managed-trade deal in order to end the bickering between the two nations, a move that would conflict with America's free-trade rhetoric. David P. Hamilton, Wall Street Journal, 8 June 1995 The expectations about motherhood as full-time job that this situation created conflicted with the philosophy of the women's movement of the l960's. Anita Shreve, New York Times Magazine, 2l Nov. 1982 Lily smiled faintly at the injunction to take her tea strong. It was the temptation she was always struggling to resist. Her craving for the keen stimulant was forever conflicting with that other craving for sleep … Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905 Reports conflicted on how many people were involved. his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report See More Recent Examples on the Web Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2022 Reality sets in when the consequences of the conflict derails progress and upends their career trajectories. Pringl Miller, STAT, 11 Sep. 2022 Both sides have suffered heavy losses in Europe's largest conflict since World War II. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 In ending the Afghanistan war, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign pledge to bring home U.S. troops from the country’s longest conflict. Colleen Long And Aamer Madhani, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022 Madoff added that many traditional estate planning tools—like QTIP Trusts in which the spouse is given a lifetime interest and the children are given the remainder interest after the death of the spouse—can exacerbate the opportunities for conflict. Michael Mccann, Variety, 10 Sep. 2022 The Brexit vote has kept Britain divided at home while generating lasting conflict with the E.U. Dan Balz, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 Cameron’s camera showed us the fight from the view of the little ones, implying family conflict, and its affects across generations, will be a theme. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2022 Under this new plan, the board spokesman acknowledged, new operational employees will need to be hired at some point, likely a challenging task given weeks of high-profile conflict. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Moreover, if not considered holistically, ESG strategies could conflict with other operational goals. Naveen Bhateja, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Or a decision in line with our values of honesty and fairness may conflict with our value of protecting someone. Lynn Bufka, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2022 For example, state environmental policies may conflict with ones issued at the national level and lead to confusion among local officials. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 28 July 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler is taking aim at crypto exchanges for the sprawl of their businesses, many parts of which can conflict with the others. Declan Harty, Fortune, 12 May 2022 However, creating new fossil fuel infrastructure would conflict with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change. Michael E. Webber, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2022 Those two rights – the individual and the collective – often conflict, as my research on the high-profile dispute over women’s access to the Hindu temple at Sabarimala shows. Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022 The bill’s somewhat hand-wavy, dismissive provision saying it shouldn’t be construed to conflict with the First Amendment doesn’t actually prevent it from doing so. Hayley Tsukayama, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2022 See More
Noun
Thompson’s knack for improving good material and saving weak bits should make for smooth sailing, as will his promise to avoid conflict. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2022 Reality sets in when the consequences of the conflict derails progress and upends their career trajectories. Pringl Miller, STAT, 11 Sep. 2022 Both sides have suffered heavy losses in Europe's largest conflict since World War II. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 In ending the Afghanistan war, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign pledge to bring home U.S. troops from the country’s longest conflict. Colleen Long And Aamer Madhani, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022 Madoff added that many traditional estate planning tools—like QTIP Trusts in which the spouse is given a lifetime interest and the children are given the remainder interest after the death of the spouse—can exacerbate the opportunities for conflict. Michael Mccann, Variety, 10 Sep. 2022 The Brexit vote has kept Britain divided at home while generating lasting conflict with the E.U. Dan Balz, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 Cameron’s camera showed us the fight from the view of the little ones, implying family conflict, and its affects across generations, will be a theme. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2022 Under this new plan, the board spokesman acknowledged, new operational employees will need to be hired at some point, likely a challenging task given weeks of high-profile conflict. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 Verb
The schools argue compliance would conflict with their religious tenets, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Moreover, if not considered holistically, ESG strategies could conflict with other operational goals. Naveen Bhateja, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Or a decision in line with our values of honesty and fairness may conflict with our value of protecting someone. Lynn Bufka, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2022 For example, state environmental policies may conflict with ones issued at the national level and lead to confusion among local officials. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 28 July 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler is taking aim at crypto exchanges for the sprawl of their businesses, many parts of which can conflict with the others. Declan Harty, Fortune, 12 May 2022 However, creating new fossil fuel infrastructure would conflict with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change. Michael E. Webber, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2022 Those two rights – the individual and the collective – often conflict, as my research on the high-profile dispute over women’s access to the Hindu temple at Sabarimala shows. Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022 The bill’s somewhat hand-wavy, dismissive provision saying it shouldn’t be construed to conflict with the First Amendment doesn’t actually prevent it from doing so. Hayley Tsukayama, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English conflicte, conflyte "battle, struggle, assault," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French conflykte, conflict, borrowed from Latin conflīctus "striking together, clash," from conflīgere "to strike together, bring into collision, do battle, contend" (from con- con- + flīgere "to strike, dash down") + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at profligate entry 1
Verb
Middle English conflicten "to engage in battle, fight," borrowed from Latin conflīctus, past participle of conflīgere "to strike together, bring into collision, do battle, contend" — more at conflict entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing conflict
Kids Definition
conflict 1 of 2
noun
con·flict ˈkän-ˌflikt
1
: an extended struggle : battle
2
: a clashing disagreement (as between ideas or interests)
conflict
2 of 2verb
con·flict kən-ˈflikt
conflicted; conflicting
: to be in opposition
Their goals conflict.
The meeting conflicts with my appointment.
Medical Definition
conflict
noun
con·flict ˈkän-ˌflikt
: mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands
conflict 1 of 2
noun
1
as in strife
a lack of agreement or harmony the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- strife
- discord
- war
- friction
- discordance
- warfare
- schism
- discordancy
- dispute
- clash
- dissent
- dissention
- division
- disharmony
- dissonance
- disunity
- infighting
- dissension
- hostility
- altercation
- disagreement
- variance
- inharmony
- disunion
- divide
- dissidence
- contention
- fight
- debate
- argument
- disaccord
- collision
- quarrel
- competition
- brawl
- squabble
- fissure
- animosity
- inconsistency
- incongruence
- bicker
- enmity
- antagonism
- incompatibility
- incongruity
- tiff
- spat
- rancor
- antipathy
- wrangle
- cold war
- inconsistence
- row
- falling-out
- inconsonance
- miff
- hassle
- incongruousness
- mix-up
- run-in
- inharmoniousness
- ill will
- jar
- scrap
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- peace
- agreement
- harmony
- cooperation
- accord
- concordance
- concord
- concurrence
2
as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups an armed conflict between strikers and strikebreakers Synonyms & Similar Words
- clash
- skirmish
- battle
- fight
- struggle
- confrontation
- tussle
- scuffle
- fray
- combat
- brawl
- contest
- dustup
- altercation
- fracas
- duel
- scrimmage
- dispute
- quarrel
- scrum
- hassle
- pitched battle
- controversy
- battle royal
- scrap
- blows
- melee
- fistfight
- misunderstanding
- squabble
- fisticuffs
- tangle
- spat
- disagreement
- ruckus
- affray
- row
- slugfest
- donnybrook
- tiff
- ruction
- mêlée
- punch-up
- joust
- rough-and-tumble
- broil
- contretemps
- argument
- cross fire
- catfight
- wrangle
- mix-up
- grapple
- face-off
- free-for-all
- falling-out
- argle-bargle
- punch-out
- argy-bargy
- kickup
- handgrips
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- truce
3
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups the United Nations strives to prevent international conflicts Synonyms & Similar Words
- hostilities
- war
- skirmish
- fighting
- conflagration
- battle
- warfare
- hot war
- world war
- cold war
- civil war
- engagement
- combat
- limited war
- holy war
- action
- police action
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- peace
- disarmament
- demobilization
- demilitarization
- pacification
- truce
- tranquility
- tranquillity
- peacefulness
- calm
- cease-fire
4
as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the eternal conflict between the forces of good and evil Synonyms & Similar Words
- rivalry
- battle
- struggle
- war
- confrontation
- warfare
- competition
- duel
- contention
- strife
- match
- clash
- contest
- combat
- showdown
- sweep-stake
- tug-of-war
- dogfight
- ball game
- dispute
- face-off
- debate
- discord
- sweepstakes
- grapple
- friction
- controversy
- disputation
- quarrel
- collision
- disagreement
- horse race
- dissension
- argument
- dissention
- nail-biter
- wrangle
- row
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- peace
- harmony
- concord
conflict
2 of 2verb
as in to clash
to be out of harmony or agreement usually noticeably his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report Synonyms & Similar Words
- clash
- discord
- collide
- disaccord
- combat
- differ
- disagree
- jar
- battle
- fight
- dissent
- engage
- war (against)
- grate
- jangle
- chafe
- gall
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- match
- fit
- conform (to or with)
- blend
- accord
- harmonize
- correspond
- agree
- coincide
- concur
- assent
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of conflict are contention, discord, dissension, strife, and variance. While all these words mean "a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony," 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
The words contention and conflict are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.
several points of contention about the new zoning law
Although the words discord and conflict have much in common, discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.
a political party long racked by discord
The synonyms dissension and conflict are sometimes interchangeable, but dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.
religious dissension threatened to split the colony
In some situations, the words strife and conflict are roughly equivalent. However, 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
While in some cases nearly identical to conflict, 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