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

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

All season long, these clubs have been basket cases, full of internal strife and external noise.

Read more on BBC

Economic strife in the 1990s and damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake also dealt blows, pushing some businesses to permanently close.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Springsteen’s darkest era spurred the making of his “Nebraska” album, a period of emotional and creative strife depicted in the movie “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” opening this weekend.

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