Adjacent Words

Conflict definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONFLICT, n. [L., to strike, to flog, to lick.]
1. A striking or dashing against each other, as of two moving bodies in opposition; violent collision of substances; as a conflict of elements, or waves; a conflict of particles in ebulltion.
2. A fighting; combat, as between men, and applicable to individuals or to armies; as, the conflict was long and desperate.
3. Contention; strife; contest.
In our last conflict, four of his five wits went halting off.
4. Struggling with difficulties; a striving to oppose, or overcome.
The good man has a perpetual conflict with his evil propensities.
5. A struggling of the mind; distress; anxiety. Colossians 2.
6. The last struggle of life; agony; as the conflict with death.
7. Opposing operations; countervailing action; collision; opposition.
In exercising the right of freemen, the man of religion experiences no conflict between his duty and his inclination.
CONFLICT, v.i.
1. To strike or dash against; to meet and oppose, as bodies driven by violence; as conflicting waves or elements.
2. To drive or strike against, as contending men, or armies; to fight; to contend with violence; as conflicting armies.
3. To strive or struggle to resist and overcome; as men conflicting with difficulties.
4. To be in opposition or contradictory.
The laws of the United States and of the individual States, may, in some cases, conflict with each other.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); "the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"-- Thomas Paine; "police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs" [syn: conflict, struggle, battle]
2: opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; "he was immobilized by conflict and indecision"
3: a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; "Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"; "he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement" [syn: battle, conflict, fight, engagement]
4: a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests; "his conflict of interest made him ineligible for the post"; "a conflict of loyalties"
5: an incompatibility of dates or events; "he noticed a conflict in the dates of the two meetings"
6: 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"
7: a disagreement or argument about something important; "he had a dispute with his wife"; "there were irreconcilable differences"; "the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats" [syn: dispute, difference, difference of opinion, conflict] v
1: be in conflict; "The two proposals conflict!"
2: go against, as of rules and laws; "He ran afoul of the law"; "This behavior conflicts with our rules" [syn: conflict, run afoul, infringe, contravene]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin conflictus act of striking together, from confligere to strike together, from com- + fligere to strike — more at profligate Date: 15th century 1. fight, battle, war <an armed conflict> 2. a. competitive or opposing action of incompatibles ; antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons) b. mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands 3. the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction Synonyms: see discord • conflictful adjective • conflictual adjective II. intransitive verb Date: 15th century 1. archaic to contend in warfare 2. to show antagonism or irreconcilability ; fail to be in agreement or accord <his statement conflicts with the facts> • confliction noun • conflictive adjective

Britannica Concise

In psychology, mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or demands. A child, for example, may be dependent on his mother but fear her because she is rejecting and punitive. Conflicts that are not readily resolved may cause the person to suffer helplessness and anxiety.

U.S. Military Dictionary

An armed struggle or clash between organized groups within a nation or between nations in order to achieve limited political or military objectives. Although regular forces are often involved, irregular forces frequently predominate. Conflict often is protracted, confined to a restricted geographic area, and constrained in weaponry and level of violence. Within this state, military power in response to threats may be exercised in an indirect manner while supportive of other instruments of national power. Limited objectives may be achieved by the short, focused, and direct application of force. (JP 3-0)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a state of opposition or hostilities. b a fight or struggle. 2 (often foll. by of) a the clashing of opposed principles etc. b an instance of this. 3 Psychol. a the opposition of incompatible wishes or needs in a person. b an instance of this. c the distress resulting from this. --v.intr. 1 clash; be incompatible. 2 (often foll. by with) struggle or contend. 3 (as conflicting adj.) contradictory. Phrases and idioms: in conflict conflicting. Derivatives: confliction n. conflictual adj. Etymology: ME f. L confligere conflict- (as com-, fligere strike)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Conflict Con*flict", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Conflicted; p. pr. & vb. n. Conflicting.] [L. conflictus, p. p. of confligere to conflict (cf. conflictare); con- + fligere to strike; cf. Gr. fli`bein, qli`bein, to press, L. flagrum whip.] 1. To strike or dash together; to meet in violent collision; to collide. --Shak. Fire and water conflicting together. --Bacon. 2. To maintain a conflict; to contend; to engage in strife or opposition; to struggle. A man would be content to . . . conflict with great difficulties, in hopes of a mighty reward. --Abp. Tillotson. 3. To be in opposition; to be contradictory. The laws of the United States and of the individual States may, in some cases, conflict with each other. --Wheaton. Syn: To fight; contend; contest; resist; struggle; combat; strive; battle.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Conflict Con"flict, n. [L. conflictus a striking together, fr. confligere, -flictum, to strike together, to fight: cf. F. conflit, formerly also conflict. See Conflict, v.] 1. A striking or dashing together; violent collision; as, a conflict of elements or waves. 2. A strife for the mastery; hostile contest; battle; struggle; fighting. As soon as he [Atterbury] was himself again, he became eager for action and conflict. --Macaulay. An irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces. --W. H. Seward. Conflict of laws, that branch of jurisprudence which deals with individual litigation claimed to be subject to the conflicting laws of two or more states or nations; -- often used as synonymous with Private international law. Syn: Contest; collision; struggle; combat; strife; contention; battle; fight; encounter. See Contest.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(conflicted) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Conflict is serious disagreement and argument about something important. If two people or groups are in conflict, they have had a serious disagreement or argument and have not yet reached agreement. Try to keep any conflict between you and your ex-partner to a minimum... Employees already are in conflict with management over job cuts... N-UNCOUNT: oft in/into N 2. Conflict is a state of mind in which you find it impossible to make a decision. ...the anguish of his own inner conflict. = turmoil 3. Conflict is fighting between countries or groups of people. (JOURNALISM or WRITTEN) ...talks aimed at ending four decades of conflict... N-VAR 4. A conflict is a serious difference between two or more beliefs, ideas, or interests. If two beliefs, ideas, or interests are in conflict, they are very different. There is a conflict between what they are doing and what you want... Do you feel any conflict of loyalties?... The two objectives are in conflict. N-VAR: oft N between pl-n 5. If ideas, beliefs, or accounts conflict, they are very different from each other and it seems impossible for them to exist together or to each be true. Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict... He held firm opinions which usually conflicted with my own... ...three powers with conflicting interests. = clash V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n, V-ing

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kon'-flikt (agon, "contest," "fight"): In Php 1:30, "having the same c. which ye saw in me," and Col 2:1 the King James Version; 1Th 2:2 (the King James Version "contention"); athlesis (literally, "combat in the public games"), in Heb 10:32 (the King James Version "fight").

See also AGONY.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Clash, interfere, be inconsistent or inharmonious, be contrary, be opposed. II. n. 1. Struggle, encounter, contest, combat, battle, fight, collision, strife in arms. 2. Clashing, interference, inconsistency, antagonism, opposition, disagreement, discord, inharmony.

Moby Thesaurus

Discordia, Eris, Kilkenny cats, action, aerial combat, affray, agree to disagree, altercation, ambivalence, ambivalence of impulse, antagonism, antagonize, antipathy, antithesis, argument, argumentation, armored combat, backlash, bad blood, battle, battle royal, be antipathetic, be at cross-purposes, be at variance, be distinct, be distinguished, be inimical, be opposed to, beat against, belligerence, bickering, brawl, break, break off, brush, bullfight, cat-and-dog life, clash, clash of arms, clash with, clashing, cockfight, collide, collision, combat, competition, concours, conflict with, confrontation, confutation, confute, contention, contentiousness, contest, contestation, contradict, contradiction, contradistinction, contraindication, contrapose, contraposition, contrariety, contrariness, contrast, contrast with, contravene, controversy, controvert, counter, counteract, counteraction, counterattack, counterbalance, countercheck, counterpoise, counterpose, counterposition, countervail, counterwork, counterworking, crankiness, cross, cross-purposes, crotchetiness, cut and thrust, debate, decompensation, depart from, despitefulness, deviate from, differ, differ in opinion, difference, disaccord, disaccordance, disaffinity, disagree, disagree with, disagreement, discord, discordance, discordancy, discrepancy, disharmony, disparity, disputation, dispute, dissension, dissent, dissidence, dissonance, disturb, disunion, disunity, divaricate from, diverge, diverge from, divergence, diversity, dogfight, embroilment, emotional shock, emulation, engagement, enmity, exchange of blows, external frustration, faction, feud, fight, fighting, fire fight, fracas, fractiousness, fray, friction, frustration, go against, go counter to, grate, ground combat, hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-hand fight, hate, hatred, hit a clinker, hold opposite views, hostility, house-to-house combat, inaccordance, incompatibility, incompatibleness, inconsistency, inequality, inharmoniousness, inharmony, inimicalness, interfere, interfere with, interference, jangle, jar, jar with, jarring, jostle, juxtapose in opposition, kick, litigation, lock horns, logomachy, malevolence, malice, malignity, meet, meet head-on, meeting, mental shock, militate against, mischief, mismatch, mismate, misunderstand one another, naval combat, negate, negation, negativeness, nonconformity, noncooperation, not accord with, not get along, not square with, object, obstinacy, offset, open conflict, oppose, oppositeness, opposition, opposure, oppugn, oppugnance, oppugnancy, paper war, passage of arms, perverseness, perversity, pitched battle, play at cross-purposes, polarity, polemic, psychological stress, pull different ways, quarrel, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, reaction, recalcitrance, recoil, refractoriness, rencontre, renitency, repercussion, repugnance, resist, resistance, revolt, rivalry, row, rub, rumble, run against, run counter to, running fight, scramble, scrapping, scrimmage, scuffle, set off, shoving match, showdown, skirmish, spat, spite, spitefulness, squabble, squabbling, stand apart, stand over against, stand-up fight, strained relations, street fight, stress, strife, striving, struggle, swim upstream, swimming upstream, tauromachy, tension, tiff, trauma, traumatism, tug-of-war, tussle, uncooperativeness, unharmoniousness, unpleasantness, unstring, untune, variance, vary, vying, war, war of words, warfare, words, work against, wrangle, wrangling