conflict

[verb kuhn-flikt; noun kon-flikt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conflict ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash: The account of one eyewitness conflicted with that of the other. My class conflicts with my going to the concert.

to fight or contend; do battle.

noun

a fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle; strife.

controversy; quarrel: conflicts between parties.

discord of action, feeling, or effect; antagonism or opposition, as of interests or principles: a conflict of ideas.

a striking together; collision.

incompatibility or interference, as of one idea, desire, event, or activity with another: a conflict in the schedule.

Psychiatry. a mental struggle arising from opposing demands or impulses.

Origin of conflict

1375–1425; late Middle English (noun) < Latin conflīctus a striking together, equivalent to conflīg(ere) to strike together, contend (con- con- + flīgere to strike) + -tus suffix of v. action; (v.) < Latin conflīctus, past participle of conflīgere, or by v. use of the noun

Related formscon·flic·tion, nouncon·flic·tive, con·flic·to·ry

[kuhn-flik-tuh-ree] /kənˈflɪk tə ri/, adjectivenon·con·flic·tive, adjectivepre·con·flict, verb (used without object)pre·con·flict, nounself-con·flict, nounun·con·flic·tive, adjective

Synonyms for conflict

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conflict ON THESAURUS.COM

1. collide, oppose. 3. encounter, siege. 5. contention, opposition.

Synonym study

3. See fight.

Antonyms for conflict

4. accord.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for conflict

combat, clash, competition, strife, struggle, battle, rivalry, war, hostility, friction, animosity, difference, dispute, vary, differ, disagree, disturb, contention, contest, engagement

Examples from the Web for conflict

Contemporary Examples of conflict

The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dead.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead
Dean Obeidallah
January 2, 2015
World War II is still a long way off, but the seeds of conflict are already being sown on the continent.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means
Katie Baker
January 2, 2015
So here we are with Abbas being the only one of three parties to this conflict still fighting for a two-state solution.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead
Dean Obeidallah
January 2, 2015
Plus, expect outside players to take actions related to the conflict.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead
Dean Obeidallah
January 2, 2015
The current conflict it fuels is now poised to last long into the new year.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters
James Poulos
January 1, 2015

Historical Examples of conflict

The West and the East were met in conflict,—the old and the new, the stale and the fresh.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
There had been in her gaze a conflict of emotions, strong and baffling.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
In every case of a conflict of authority, we must "obey God rather than men."
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
They must always obey the law, so long as it does not conflict with the law of God.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump

British Dictionary definitions for conflict

conflict

noun (ˈkɒnflɪkt)

a struggle or clash between opposing forces; battle

a state of opposition between ideas, interests, etc; disagreement or controversy

a clash, as between two appointments made for the same time

psychol opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible wishes or drives, sometimes leading to a state of emotional tension and thought to be responsible for neuroses

verb (kənˈflɪkt) (intr)

to come into opposition; clash

to fight

Derived Formsconfliction, nounconflictive or conflictory, adjective

Word Origin for conflict

C15: from Latin conflictus, from conflīgere to combat, from flīgere to strike

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for conflict

early 15c., from Latin conflictus, past participle of confligere "to strike together, be in conflict," from com- "together" (see com-) + fligere "to strike" (see afflict). Related: Conflicted; conflicting.

early 15c., "armed encounter, battle," from Old French conflit and directly from Latin conflictus (see conflict (v.)). Meaning "struggle, quarrel" is from mid-15c. Psychological sense of "incompatible urges in one person" is from 1859 (hence conflicted, past participle adjective). Phrase conflict of interest was in use by 1743.

conflict in Medicine

conflict

[kŏn′flĭkt′]

n.

A psychic struggle between opposing or incompatible impulses, desires, or tendencies.