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strife

[strahyf]
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noun
  1. vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism: to be at strife.
  2. a quarrel, struggle, or clash: armed strife.
  3. competition or rivalry: the strife of the marketplace.
  4. Archaic. strenuous effort.
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Origin of strife

1175–1225; Middle English strif < Old French estrif, akin to estriver to strive
Related formsstrife·ful, adjectivestrife·less, adjectiveun·der·strife, noun

Synonyms

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1. difference, disagreement, contrariety, opposition. 2. fight, conflict.

Antonyms

1, 2. peace.

strive

[strahyv]
verb (used without object), strove or strived, striv·en [striv-uh n] /ˈstrɪv ən/ or strived, striv·ing.
  1. to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: He strove to make himself understood.
  2. to make strenuous efforts toward any goal: to strive for success.
  3. to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.
  4. to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance: to strive against fate.
  5. to rival; vie.
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Origin of strive

1175–1225; Middle English striven < Old French estriver to quarrel, compete, strive < Germanic; compare obsolete Dutch strijven, German streben to strive
Related formsstriv·er, nounstriv·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·strive, verb (used without object), in·ter·strove, in·ter·striv·en, in·ter·striv·ing.out·strive, verb (used with object), out·strove, out·striv·en, out·striv·ing.o·ver·strive, verb (used without object), o·ver·strove, o·ver·striv·en, o·ver·striv·ing.re·strive, verb (used without object), re·strove, re·striv·en, re·striv·ing.un·striv·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1. See try. 2. toil. 3. struggle, fight.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

squabblewarfareclashdiscorddisunitydisagreementfightingdissensionquarrelwranglefrictionanimositycontroversyrivalryconflictdisputewranglingbickeringtackleaim

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British Dictionary definitions for strives

strife

noun
  1. angry or violent struggle; conflict
  2. rivalry or contention, esp of a bitter kind
  3. Australian and NZ trouble or discord of any kindto get into strife
  4. archaic striving
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Word Origin

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

strive

verb strives, striving, strove or striven (ˈstrɪvən)
  1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make a great and tenacious effortto strive to get promotion
  2. (intr) to fight; contend
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Derived Formsstriver, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French estriver, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German streben to strive, Old Norse strītha to fight
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

Word Origin and History for strives

strife

n.

early 13c., from Old French estrif, variant of estrit "quarrel, dispute, impetuosity," probably from Frankish *strid, from Proto-Germanic *strido- "strife, combat" (cf. Old High German strit "quarrel, dispute"), related to Old High German stritan "to fight;" see stride.

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strive

v.

c.1200, from Old French estriver "to quarrel, dispute," from estrif, estrit "quarrel" (see strife). It became a strong verb (past tense strove) by rhyming association with drive, etc.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper