confrontation

[ kon-fruh n-tey-shuh n, -fruhn- ]

/ ˌkɒn frənˈteɪ ʃən, -frʌn- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR confrontation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act of confronting.

the state of being confronted.

a meeting of persons face to face.

an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc.

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

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.

Nearby words

Origin of confrontation

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

Related formsnon·con·fron·ta·tion, nounre·con·fron·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for confrontation

Their confrontation at dinner was, without a doubt, the highlight of the episode.
‘Downton Abbey’ Review: A Fire, Some Sex, and Sad, Sad Edith|Kevin Fallon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A video of the confrontation shot by a bystander shows Garner surrounded by a group of police officers.
After No Indictment for Eric Garner Killer, Is NYC the Next Ferguson?|Jacob Siegel|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I need some stimulation in my blood,” Bergesio says, “and here you have confrontation.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Charles Barkley has never been one to shy away from confrontation both on and off the basketball court.
Charles Barkley Is Right on ‘Acting White’|Ron Christie|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was there, Walker pointed out, that the two of them had the overblown “confrontation” that had now taken over his life.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever Read|David Weigel|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The high tension of our first confrontation was giving place to a flood of emotional impulse.
The Passionate Friends|Herbert George Wells
The Peloponnesian War was the confrontation of two social systems, radically opposed in form, method, and outlook.
Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. Kallen
And this time the confrontation was too near, too immediate, to be further avoided.
Angela's Business|Henry Sydnor Harrison
That was perhaps the worst moment of my life, that confrontation of Semyonov.
The Dark Forest|Hugh Walpole
On confrontation with the latter he repeated what he had said.
Freaks of Fanaticism|Sabine Baring-Gould

British Dictionary definitions for confrontation

confrontation

archaic confrontment (kɒnˈfrʌntmənt)

/ (ˌkɒnfrʌnˈteɪʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of confronting

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

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

Derived Formsconfrontational, adjective

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

confrontation

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of confrontation

Examples from the Web for confrontation

confrontation

archaic confrontment (kɒnˈfrʌntmənt)

noun