conflict
Americanverb (used without object)
-
conflicts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conflicted,
past participle, past
-
conflicting
present participle
noun
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conflicts
plural
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a fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle; strife.
-
controversy; quarrel.
conflicts between parties.
- Antonyms:
- accord
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discord of action, feeling, or effect; antagonism or opposition, as of interests or principles.
a conflict of ideas.
- Synonyms:
- opposition, contention
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a striking together; collision.
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incompatibility or interference, as of one idea, desire, event, or activity with another.
a conflict in the schedule.
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Psychiatry. a mental struggle arising from opposing demands or impulses.
noun
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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
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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
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to come into opposition; clash
-
to fight
Synonym Usage
See fight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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conflictionnoun
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preconflictnoun
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self-conflictnoun
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preconflictverb (used without object)
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conflictiveadjective
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conflictoryadjective
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nonconflictiveadjective
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unconflictiveadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conflictsimple
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conflictssimple
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have conflictedperfect
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has conflictedperfect
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am conflictingprogressive
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are conflictingprogressive
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is conflictingprogressive
-
have been conflictingperfect progressive
-
has been conflictingperfect progressive
Past
-
conflictedsimple
-
had conflictedperfect
-
was conflictingprogressive
-
were conflictingprogressive
-
had been conflictingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
A conflict is a struggle or an opposition. If you and your best friend both fall in love with the same person, you will have to find some way to resolve the conflict. Conflict comes from the Latin word for striking, but it isn't always violent. Conflict can arise from opposing ideas. If you want to turn your empty lot into a community garden but your wife envisions a shooting range, you have a conflict. If you're torn between two different desires, you're conflicted. Conflict can also be a verb. If you schedule a dentist appointment that conflicts with a meeting, you'll have to cancel one of them.
Vocabulary lists containing conflict
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The country also entered the conflict with a relatively low debt load, giving the government room to borrow to fund the military, compensate reservists and keep households and businesses afloat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
At the film’s heart is a terribly relatable family conflict in which each character assumes that they know best.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
“While the evolution of geopolitical conflict is impossible to predict — the course of the Ukraine-Russia war serves as an example of how surprisingly long such conflicts can last,” Axel and Levingston wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
He acknowledged that the "political track" of negotiations to end the conflict was "complex" but said Ukrainians were asking Melania Trump "to keep going and find new missions and de-escalate more."
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The threat of a new, more destructive conflict weighed heavily on him.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Staying out of these conflicts while protecting American trade drove Washington and his immediate successors into some tricky diplomacy, and Mr. Mikaberidze deftly sketches their maneuverings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“While the evolution of geopolitical conflict is impossible to predict — the course of the Ukraine-Russia war serves as an example of how surprisingly long such conflicts can last,” Axel and Levingston wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
The war has cast a shadow on Persian Gulf nations that have long presented themselves as paragons of stability in a volatile region, mostly unaffected by the conflicts raging in the wider Middle East.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
According to the ministry, conflicts between bears and humans are "relatively rare" unless the animals are startled or protecting their cubs and food.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
“And I’m going to have a talk with the organizers about conflicts of interest. If your parents donated the new computer science wing?”
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Like others participating in the ceremony, she has conflicted feelings about the growing tourist presence.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
On primary day, I was personally conflicted about who I’d vote for.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Because I’m a conflicted party, I can’t actually be in the discussions of the special committees,” Musk told investors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area residents, living in the beating heart of the artificial intelligence boom, are just as conflicted about the technology as the rest of the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Smith was apparently unaware that his advice conflicted with Pollard’s.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
“Jensen Huang has become enormously influential in shaping U.S. chip policy, and Nvidia’s commercial interests are intertwined with Washington’s China strategy in complex and sometimes conflicting ways,” Lee said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
A “memorandum of understanding” struck in June collapsed two weeks after it was signed amid conflicting interpretations of how to unlock shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The fossil record often provides incomplete or conflicting clues, making it difficult to determine whether an extinct species primarily lived on land, in water, or in both environments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
There have been conflicting signals about the timing of a potential U.S. attack.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
He was disturbed by the conflicting images he had of the Farm Patrol.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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