confrontation

American  

[kon-fruhn-tey-shuhn, -fruhn-] / ˌkɒn frənˈteɪ ʃən, -frʌn- /

Rarely confrontal

noun

• confrontations
  plural

1. an act of confronting.

2. the state of being confronted.

3. a meeting of persons face to face.

4. an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc.

5. a bringing together of ideas, themes, etc., for comparison.

6. Psychology. a technique used in group therapy, as in encounter groups, in which one is forced to recognize one's shortcomings and their possible consequences.

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confrontation British  

/ kɒnˈfrʌntmənt, ˌkɒnfrʌnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of confronting

2. a situation of mutual hostility between two powers or nations without open warfare

3. a state of conflict between two antagonistic forces, creeds, or ideas etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconfrontation
  noun
• reconfrontation
  noun
• confrontational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• confrontations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of confrontation

First recorded in 1625–35; confront + -ation; compare Medieval Latin confrontātiō, French, Middle French confrontation

Explanation

A confrontation is an angry disagreement. You might become so irritated about your upstairs neighbor's loud, awful music that a confrontation is unavoidable. Confrontation implies hostility, although like a fight, a confrontation can involve actual violence, or just a clash of words. A confrontation often refers to a military encounter involving opposing armies. This meaning became popular after the Cuban missile crisis in 1963. Before that, confrontation was used to mean "bringing two opposing parties face to face," from the Latin word confrontationem.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confrontation confrontations

After several hours of noisy confrontation, the Orthodox protesters left, with plans to fight their battle again next Saturday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Eight years earlier, in February 2018, just a few miles from where Powers and his friend initiated their confrontation, 31-year-old Dominic Jerome “D.J.”

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Iran’s firm tone is helping keep some premium in oil prices despite easing risks of a military confrontation, Assir added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

During a confrontation between Miguel Almirón and Turkey’s Mert Muldur, the Paraguayan star covered his mouth while speaking aggressively to his opponent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Jeffrey thought this confrontation was a big deal.

From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea

Lincoln, 20, who studies food science at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C., has gotten in the habit of using her chatbot to prepare for dates and tense confrontations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Sheinbaum said fences will be installed to prevent confrontations between police and protesters in the Zócalo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

In Los Angeles, a former MTV personality is running a mayoral campaign built around TMZ confrontations.

From Salon ● May 18, 2026

In his post, Gargash said that the UAE had not sought the war and had worked to avoid it, saying that "Arab-Iranian relations in the Gulf cannot be built on confrontations and conflicts".

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

Dimple was excellent at arguing with Mamma, but when it came to confrontations with other people, her backbone somehow became jellylike.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• battle
• contest
• crisis
• dispute
• encounter
• fight
• meeting
• showdown
• strife