conflict

[ verb kuhn-flikt; noun kon-flikt ]

See synonyms for: conflict conflicted conflicting conflicts 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

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), from Latin conflīctus “a striking together,” equivalent to conflīg(ere) “to strike together, contend” (con- con- + flīgere “to strike”) + -tus suffix of verb action; (verb) from Latin conflīctus, past participle of conflīgere, or by verb use of the noun

synonym study For conflict

3. See fight.

Other words for conflict

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

See synonyms for conflict on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for conflict

accord

See antonyms for conflict on Thesaurus.com

Other words from conflict

con·flic·tion, noun
con·flic·tive, con·flic·to·ry [kuhn-flik-tuh-ree], /kənˈflɪk tə ri/, adjective
non·con·flic·tive, adjective
pre·con·flict, verb (used without object)
pre·con·flict, noun
self-con·flict, noun
un·con·flic·tive, adjective

Words Nearby conflict

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conflict in a sentence

In immigration court, she claimed that she feared returning to Cameroon, a place that she has never called home, and where there is ongoing conflict between the state and anglophone separatists.
A woman in ICE detention says her fallopian tube was removed without her consent | Nicole Narea | September 17, 2020 | Vox
Justice has repeatedly said his role as governor poses no conflict, and he wants nothing from the state for his businesses or his family.
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators | by Ken Ward Jr. | September 17, 2020 | ProPublica
But, Liebman said, the logic that supported withholding documents doesn’t apply to the current fight because this one centers on allegations of conflicts of interest.
“Cover Up”: House Democrats Subpoena Documents That NLRB Refused to Share in Ethics Investigation | by Ian MacDougall | September 15, 2020 | ProPublica
A conflict over which electors should count would only exacerbate those concerns.
What If Trump Loses And Won’t Leave? | Geoffrey Skelley (geoffrey.skelley@abc.com) | September 14, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
That does not necessarily suggest that Russia plans to expand or accelerate attacks, but it may indicate that the Kremlin sees the current intensive confrontation … as a prelude to an inevitable conflict.
Spy Wars: The Hidden Foe America Must Defeat to Save Its Democracy | Charu Kasturi | September 13, 2020 | Ozy

In the middle of all of that past suffering and present-day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Their claims have led to both academic controversy and localized conflict.
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans | Nina Strochlic | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 | THE DAILY BEAST
He must trust to his human merits, and not miracles, for his Sonship is of no value in this conflict.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel Conway
The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
In her he felt again, more distinctly than before, another person—division, conflict.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
The conflict of these certainties left hopeless disorder in every corner of his being.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
Battle of Surcoign; British defeated by the French after a sanguinary conflict.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell

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

Origin of conflict

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

Derived forms of conflict

confliction, noun
conflictive or conflictory, adjective

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

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