confrontation

American  

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

Rarely confrontal

noun

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  

/ kɒnˈfrʌntmənt, 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

• confrontational adjective
• nonconfrontation noun
• reconfrontation noun

Etymology

Origin of confrontation

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

Example Sentences

"I enjoy... the physical battle, the confrontation," said Macleod on Wednesday.

From Barron's

They say they now expect it to be an exchange of ideas with few concrete outcomes, and some say they are resigned to what they see as an inevitable military confrontation.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We should cooperate across the strait to earn money from the world, rather than letting confrontation allow other foreign countries to ‘reap the spoils,’” said Hsiao.

From The Wall Street Journal

Police separated the two groups to prevent any confrontation, which was limited to an exchange of slogans.

From Barron's

She said their actions were "more performative than real" and that the defendants had really wanted to film footage of a confrontation with Nye and them giving her the Bible.

From BBC

Related Words

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