strife

[ strahyf ]
See synonyms for: strifestrives on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism: to be at strife.

  2. a quarrel, struggle, or clash: armed strife.

  1. competition or rivalry: the strife of the marketplace.

  2. Archaic. strenuous effort.

Origin of strife

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English strif, from Old French estrif, akin to estriver; see strive

Other words for strife

Opposites for strife

Other words from strife

  • strifeful, adjective
  • strifeless, adjective
  • un·der·strife, noun

Words Nearby strife

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use strife in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for strife

strife

/ (straɪf) /


noun
  1. angry or violent struggle; conflict

  2. rivalry or contention, esp of a bitter kind

  1. Australian and NZ trouble or discord of any kind: to get into strife

  2. archaic striving

Origin of strife

1
C13: from Old French estrif, probably from estriver to strive

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