confrontation

American  

[kon-fruhn-tey-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

Etymology

Origin of confrontation

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

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

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told AFP in an exclusive interview he wants to reach a security agreement with Israel once it withdraws from the south, and is determined to disarm Hezbollah without resorting to confrontation.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

“Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance which serves no one’s interest,” a spokesperson said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a briefing that “fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

We avoid confrontation at work at the best of times when we have clear rules and norms to guide us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, of confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from ghosts and girded me against the sheer terror of disembodiment.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

An attempt by Israeli security forces to dislodge the settlers on Wednesday led to confrontations with a bigger group.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Players who cover their mouths in confrontations with opponents will not be shown red cards in Uefa competitions either.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

The dispute marks one of the sharpest confrontations between the two countries in decades and reflects growing displeasure inside the Mexican government over what officials view as escalating U.S. demands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

He previously served as Mexico’s security minister, helping implement former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s controversial “hugs, not bullets” strategy, which emphasized addressing the root causes of crime instead of military confrontations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Dimple was excellent at arguing with Mamma, but when it came to confrontations with other people, her backbone somehow became jellylike.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

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