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
-
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.
-
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.
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
-
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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List 7
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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:
Experts say there could be more hikes over the next 18 months, as the conflict continues to push up food, fuel and energy prices across the UK and worldwide.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
And despite hopes in the region for a quick end to the conflict, the strikes are expanding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“That doesn’t automatically make it a bad recommendation, but it’s a potential conflict of interest worth investigating.”
From MarketWatch ● 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
What possible rationale could exist for a large American land force, since the conflict with France was occurring on the high seas?
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Over time, however, some of the biggest PBMs were acquired by drug companies, creating conflicts of interest that led to federal orders for divestment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Lawmakers accused Peña, who was a shareholder until last year in the company that owned the bank, of conflicts of interest and misconduct.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Through cooperation between the United States and Europe, "there may be a new opportunity to launch a fresh initiative" to resolve conflicts, he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
The deal comes as global conflicts have boosted U.S. refiners’ sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
He gave me that half-smile of his, which had won him a thousand conflicts.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
On primary day, I was personally conflicted about who I’d vote for.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
Asked whether Turkish and US plans conflicted, a foreign observer told AFP that Ankara and Washington's positions "are, in fact, aligned".
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Musk said he isn’t participating in the committee discussions because he is a conflicted party, and that the committees have yet to agree on terms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 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
“I think my conflicted emotions confused the simulation,” he says.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
For people trying to navigate changing nutrition recommendations and conflicting health messages, Anderson favors a practical approach rather than complicated dietary rules.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Prices have been volatile as traders digest conflicting signals on the progress of U.S.-Iran peace talks, ANZ Research says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
“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
There have been conflicting signals about the timing of a potential U.S. attack.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
This is what I tell myself to explain the conflicting emotions that arise when I think of Peeta.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
