conflict
[verb kuhn-flikt; noun kon-flikt]
- 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.
Show More
- 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.
Show More
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
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
3. See fight.
Antonyms
4. accord.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
combatclashcompetitionstrifestrugglebattlerivalrywarhostilityfrictionanimositydifferencedisputevarydifferdisagreedisturbcontentioncontestengagementExamples from the Web for conflict
Contemporary Examples
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dead.
World War II is still a long way off, but the seeds of conflict are already being sown on the continent.
So here we are with Abbas being the only one of three parties to this conflict still fighting for a two-state solution.
Plus, expect outside players to take actions related to the conflict.
The current conflict it fuels is now poised to last long into the new year.
Historical Examples
The West and the East were met in conflict,—the old and the new, the stale and the fresh.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will.
There had been in her gaze a conflict of emotions, strong and baffling.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
In every case of a conflict of authority, we must "obey God rather than men."
An Explanation of Luther's Small CatechismJoseph 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 CatechismJoseph Stump
conflict
- 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
Show More
- to come into opposition; clash
- to fight
Show More
Word Origin
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
n.
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.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
conflict
(kŏn′flĭkt′)- A psychic struggle between opposing or incompatible impulses, desires, or tendencies.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.