1
as in frictions
a lack of agreement or harmony
the conflict between absolute freedom and personal responsibility
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clashes
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
an armed conflict between strikers and strikebreakers
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3
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
the United Nations strives to prevent international conflicts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the eternal conflict between the forces of good and evil
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in collides
to be out of harmony or agreement usually noticeably
his statement conflicts with the facts, as given in the police report
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conflicts
Laura A. Bischoff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Similar false or misleading content has circulated during the Israeli-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 6 Jan. 2026
Yet Beijing’s rhetoric on sovereignty has been notably absent in other conflicts.
—Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
And in today’s world, there are so many conflicts brewing alongside new political movements and emerging problems.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026
Iran’s support for Hezbollah during Lebanon’s civil war, its backing of Hamas in the Palestinian group’s fight against Israel, and its involvement in Syrian and Iraqi conflicts have contributed to international sanctions, diplomatic isolation and economic pressure on Iran.
—Kamran Talattof, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
No single model can be replicated in different conflicts.
—Galip Dalay, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
The metals have notched record prices over the last year amid lingering economic concerns brought on by conflicts and trade wars.
—Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
That law conflicts with the state constitution, Womack said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
This trend conflicts with how deeply rural populations value family and friendship, and fails to capture how rural populations interact with the indoor spaces that are central to their daily lives.
—William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The center guides parties through community issues like noise but also conflicts with roommates and landlords.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Morrisey hasn’t withdrawn his executive order, which conflicts with the state’s immunization law, and has generated confusion and uncertainty.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Work culture, tennis or otherwise, rewards busyness and often self-sacrifice, which conflicts with self-care and mental health.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In addition, the act contains a preemption provision that expresses that no state can enforce a law that conflicts with the act.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
These cultural differences stoked the media fires further, as Verrett is larger than life in every sense, unapologetically himself and proud of it, which conflicts with Norwegian janteloven.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
The township is arguing that state law regarding government employee protections against lawsuits conflicts with federal court rulings.
—Verb
The description conflicts with the White House’s portrayal of the two women as long estranged.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflicts
Noun
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Trade and diplomatic frictions aside, Japanese companies are positive on business growth, with the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey showing that sentiment among Japanese companies mostly improved in the fourth quarter, especially among small manufacturers.—
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Old frictions become new frays in the very first episode as Norma (Burnett) and Linda, née Penelope (Dern), collide in a tête-à-tête dispensing new secrets and poignant credos after the explosive season one finale that left Robert (Ricky Martin) shot and Linda cuffed.—
Noun
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Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.—
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As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Noun
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Those presidents asked for permission to conduct hostilities because the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, unambiguously vests the war power in Congress.—
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Almost three years since the start of the Sudanese civil war, there are few signs of the hostilities ending soon, with experts fearing the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis could yet worsen.—
Noun
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Anyone who has followed the devastating violence in California’s prisons knows that gang rivalries trigger a lot of the bloodshed.—
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With the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers set to face off in Saturday nights' playoff game, some local couples are hoping love can overcome even the biggest of rivalries.—
Noun
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Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
Noun
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Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homes in both countries when border skirmishes broke out for the second time this year.—
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For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border – a dispute that has occasionally exploded into skirmishes and fighting.—
Noun
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She's also covered the cartel wars along the TX-MX border, Congress in Mexico City, 3 presidential races, and 6 hurricanes.—
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No One Knows What to Call Venezuela The wars since 1945 have not actually been so explicitly about resources, yet the President can't seem to stop talking about oil and energy.—
Noun
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The facility, which is surrounded by the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, also has led to separate legal battles in federal court.—
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Soon the scene devolved into individual battles between officers and rioters.—
Cite this Entry
“Conflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflicts. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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