conflict

1.

/ˈkɑnflɪkt/

an open clash between two opposing groups

2.

/kənˈflɪkt/

be in opposition

Other forms: conflicts; conflicting; conflicted

A conflict is a struggle or an opposition. If you and your best friend both fall in love with the same person, you will have to find some way to resolve the conflict.

Conflict comes from the Latin word for striking, but it isn't always violent. Conflict can arise from opposing ideas. If you want to turn your empty lot into a community garden but your wife envisions a shooting range, you have a conflict. If you're torn between two different desires, you're conflicted. Conflict can also be a verb. If you schedule a dentist appointment that conflicts with a meeting, you'll have to cancel one of them.

Definitions of conflict (/ˈkɑnflɪkt/)

1. noun

   an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)
   “"the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"--Thomas Paine”

   synonyms: battle, struggle

   types:

   class struggle, class war, class warfare

   conflict between social or economic classes (especially between the capitalist and proletariat classes)

   insurrection, rebellion, revolt, rising, uprising

   organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another

   counterinsurgency, pacification

   actions taken by a government to defeat insurgency

   strife

   bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension

   tug-of-war

   any hard struggle between equally matched groups

   turf war

   a bitter struggle for territory or power or control or rights

   combat, fight, fighting, scrap

   the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

   feud

   a bitter quarrel between two parties

   war, warfare

   an active struggle between competing entities

   conflagration

   a violent clash or conflict

   gunfight, gunplay, shootout

   a fight involving shooting small arms with the intent to kill or frighten

   brush, clash, encounter, skirmish

   a minor short-term fight

   close-quarter fighting

   hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters

   insurgence, insurgency

   an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict

   intifada, intifadah

   an uprising by Palestinian Arabs (in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) against Israel in the late 1980s and again in 2000

   mutiny

   open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers)

   dogfight

   a violent fight between dogs (sometimes organized illegally for entertainment and gambling)

   countercurrent, crosscurrent

   actions counter to the main group activity

   discord, discordance

   strife resulting from a lack of agreement

   fencing

   the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules)

   faction, in-fighting

   conflict between members of the same organization (usually concealed from outsiders)

   set-to

   a brief but vigorous fight

   impact, shock

   the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat

   dogfight, hassle, rough-and-tumble, scuffle, tussle

   disorderly fighting

   affaire d'honneur, duel

   a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor

   fistfight, fisticuffs, slugfest

   a fight with bare fists

   banging, battering

   the act of subjecting to strong attack

   beating, whipping

   the act of overcoming or outdoing

   affray, disturbance, fray, ruffle

   a noisy fight

   brawl, free-for-all

   a noisy fight in a crowd

   cut-and-thrust, knife fight, snickersnee

   fighting with knives

   gang fight, rumble

   a fight between rival gangs of adolescents

   single combat

   a fight between two people

   drug war

   conflict between law enforcement and those who deal in illegal drugs

   trench warfare

   a struggle (usually prolonged) between competing entities in which neither side is able to win

   blood feud, vendetta

   a feud in which members of the opposing parties murder each other

   type of:

   group action

   action taken by a group of people
2. noun

   a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
   synonyms: battle, engagement, fight

   examples:

   Battle of Britain

   the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it

   Drogheda

   in 1649 the place was captured by Oliver Cromwell, who massacred the Catholic inhabitants

   types:

   Armageddon

   any catastrophically destructive battle

   pitched battle

   a fierce battle fought in close combat between troops in predetermined positions at a chosen time and place

   naval battle

   a pitched battle between naval fleets

   armed combat, combat

   an engagement fought between two military forces

   dogfight

   an aerial engagement between fighter planes

   assault

   close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

   resisting arrest

   physical efforts to oppose a lawful arrest; the resistance is classified as assault and battery upon the person of the police officer attempting to make the arrest

   belligerency, hostilities

   fighting; acts of overt warfare

   trench warfare

   a type of armed combat in which the opposing troops fight from trenches that face each other

   storm

   a direct and violent assault on a stronghold

   aggression

   the act of initiating hostilities

   type of:

   action, military action

   a military engagement
3. noun

   a disagreement or argument about something important
   “the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats”

   synonyms: difference, difference of opinion, dispute

   types:

   collision

   a conflict of opposed ideas or attitudes or goals

   arguing, argument, contention, contestation, controversy, disceptation, disputation, tilt

   a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement

   gap

   a difference (especially an unfortunate difference) between two opinions or two views or two situations

   dustup, quarrel, row, run-in, words, wrangle

   an angry dispute

   argle-bargle, argy-bargy

   a verbal dispute; a wrangling argument

   firestorm

   an outburst of controversy

   sparring

   an argument in which the participants are trying to gain some advantage

   polemic

   a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma)

   generation gap

   a difference between the views of young people and their parents

   fight

   an intense verbal dispute

   affray, altercation, fracas

   noisy quarrel

   bicker, bickering, fuss, pettifoggery, spat, squabble, tiff

   a quarrel about petty points

   bust-up

   a serious quarrel (especially one that ends a friendship)

   type of:

   disagreement

   the speech act of disagreeing or arguing or disputing
4. noun

   a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests
   “his conflict of interest made him ineligible for the post”

   “a conflict of loyalties”

   types:

   clash, friction

   a state of conflict between persons

   clash

   a state of conflict between colors

   disagreement, dissension, dissonance, misunderstanding

   a conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters

   disunity

   lack of unity (usually resulting from dissension)

   divide

   a serious disagreement between two groups of people (typically producing tension or hostility)

   type of:

   state

   the way something is with respect to its main attributes
5. noun

   opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot)
   “this form of conflict is essential to Mann's writing”

   type of:

   oppositeness, opposition

   the relation between opposed entities
6. noun

   opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings
   “he was immobilized by conflict and indecision”

   type of:

   ambivalence, ambivalency

   mixed feelings or emotions
7. noun

   an incompatibility of dates or events
   “he noticed a conflict in the dates of the two meetings”

   type of:

   incompatibility

   the quality of being unable to exist or work in congenial combination