strife

[strahyf]

noun

1. vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism.

   to be at strife.

   Synonyms: opposition, contrariety, disagreement, difference
   Antonyms: peace

2. a quarrel, struggle, or clash.

   armed strife.

   Synonyms: conflict, fight
   Antonyms: peace

3. competition or rivalry.

   the strife of the marketplace.

4. Archaic.,  strenuous effort.

strife

/ straɪf /

noun

1. angry or violent struggle; conflict

2. rivalry or contention, esp of a bitter kind

3. trouble or discord of any kind

   to get into strife

4. archaic,  striving

Other Word Forms

• strifeful adjective
• strifeless adjective
• understrife noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of strife¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of strife¹

C13: from Old French estrif, probably from estriver to _strive

Example Sentences

At times, society feels like a house divided against itself, yet Lincoln reminded us that the resolution to civil strife and discord is “Thanksgiving and Praise” coupled with “humble penitence.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In among Liverpool's strife, Szoboszlai has been one of the better performers - but yet again he was pushed into an unaccustomed right-back role against Forest.

Read more on BBC

So there’s way more than enough to go around, but it’s the property details that are causing a lot of strife.

Read more on MarketWatch

The series uses school drama and a budding teen romance as a backdrop to touch on themes such as class strife and prejudice, corporate greed and personal vengeance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That has contributed to political strife, including tension over whether to fund new projects or existing services.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• animosity 
• bickering 
• clash 
• conflict 
• controversy 
• disagreement 
• discord 
• dispute 
• dissension 
• disunity 
• fighting 
• friction 
• quarrel 
• rivalry 
• squabble 
• warfare 
• wrangle 
• wrangling www.thesaurus.com