confrontation

American  

[kon-fruhn-tay-shuhn, -fruhn-] / ˌkɒn frənˈteɪ ʃən, -frʌn- /

Rarely confrontal

noun

• confrontations
  plural

1. 

   an act of confronting.

2. the state of being confronted.

3. a meeting of persons face to face.

4. an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc.

5. a bringing together of ideas, themes, etc., for comparison.

6. Psychology. a technique used in group therapy, as in encounter groups, in which one is forced to recognize one's shortcomings and their possible consequences.

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confrontation British  

/ ˌkɒnfrʌnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of confronting

2. a situation of mutual hostility between two powers or nations without open warfare

3. a state of conflict between two antagonistic forces, creeds, or ideas etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconfrontation
  noun
• reconfrontation
  noun
• confrontational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• confrontations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of confrontation

First recorded in 1625–35; confront + -ation; compare Medieval Latin confrontātiō, French, Middle French confrontation

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Explanation

A confrontation is an angry disagreement. You might become so irritated about your upstairs neighbor's loud, awful music that a confrontation is unavoidable. Confrontation implies hostility, although like a fight, a confrontation can involve actual violence, or just a clash of words. A confrontation often refers to a military encounter involving opposing armies. This meaning became popular after the Cuban missile crisis in 1963. Before that, confrontation was used to mean "bringing two opposing parties face to face," from the Latin word confrontationem.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confrontation confrontations

His bits come off as observations in the form of confrontation, while balancing an act of entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

For Batrice, the danger wasn’t simply that the confrontation looked terrible.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

The new outbreak of violence came as Prince Mohammed was working to contain the confrontation with Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

But when David posted the scene several hours later, the editing gave viewers the impression of a major clash -- a violent confrontation in Israel's secular heart.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

I didn’t want any confrontation to affect Faizah’s outcome on the strip.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

These confrontations with the fantastic throw the woman’s static, everyday existence into sharp relief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Organizers say volunteers will explain voting rights, try to de-escalate confrontations and document potential intimidation or other misconduct.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

It’s unclear whether similar confrontations would be resolved by the new Paramount board and, if so, what that would mean for the authority of the top executives at CBS News and CNN.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Senior U.S. officials have responded by trying to avoid public confrontations with Beijing that could overshadow or derail plans for the summit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

They fill their mind and hands with soap and repair and dicey confrontations because what is waiting for them, in a suddenly idle moment, is the seep of rage.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

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Related Words

• battle
• contest
• crisis
• dispute
• encounter
• fight
• meeting
• showdown
• strife

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