Standard Lemma guide

conflict

noun · verb · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.flɪkt/
  • General-American: /ˈkɑn.flɪkt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /kənˈflɪkt/
  • General-American: /kənˈflɪkt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪkt
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA1 N F L IH0 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: K AH0 N F L IH1 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A clash or disagreement, often violent, between two or more opposing groups or individuals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The conflict between the government and the rebels began three years ago.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • I wanted to attend the meeting but there's a conflict in my schedule that day.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

in fiction/literature, opposing forces that create uncertainty as to whether the character(s) will achieve their goal(s).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To be at odds (with); to disagree or be incompatible

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To overlap (with), as in a schedule.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Your conference call conflicts with my older one: please reschedule.
  • It appears that our schedules conflict.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga
  • he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: battle, fight, engagement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: military action, action

Narrower terms: Armageddon, pitched battle, naval battle, combat, armed combat, dogfight, assault, Battle of Britain, Drogheda

7

noun

Meaning 7

an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)--Thomas Paine

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph
  • police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: struggle, battle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: group action

Narrower terms: class struggle, class war, class warfare, rebellion, insurrection, revolt, rising, uprising, pacification, counterinsurgency, strife, tug-of-war, turf war, fight, fighting, combat, scrap, feud, war, warfare

8

noun

Meaning 8

an incompatibility of dates or events

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he noticed a conflict in the dates of the two meetings

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: incompatibility

9

noun

Meaning 9

a disagreement or argument about something important

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he had a dispute with his wife
  • there were irreconcilable differences
  • the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dispute, difference, difference of opinion

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disagreement

Narrower terms: collision, controversy, contention, contestation, disputation, disceptation, tilt, argument, arguing, gap, quarrel, wrangle, row, words, run-in, dustup

10

noun

Meaning 10

opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was immobilized by conflict and indecision

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ambivalence, ambivalency

11

noun

Meaning 11

opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • this form of conflict is essential to Mann's writing

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: opposition, oppositeness

12

noun

Meaning 12

a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his conflict of interest made him ineligible for the post
  • a conflict of loyalties

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: state

Narrower terms: clash, friction, disagreement, dissension, dissonance

13

verb

Meaning 13

go against, as of rules and laws

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He ran afoul of the law
  • This behavior conflicts with our rules

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: run afoul, infringe, contravene

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach, break

14

verb

Meaning 14

be in conflict

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The two proposals conflict!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: contrast, counterpoint

Narrower terms: clash, jar, collide

History

Etymology

From Latin cōnflīctus, from com- + flīctus, past participle of conflīgō (“to strike together”), from com- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence con-).

Across languages

Translations

240 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: konflik — clash or disagreement
  • Albanian: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Arabic: صِرَاع (ṣirāʕ) — clash or disagreement
  • Arabic: نِزَاع (nizāʕ) — clash or disagreement
  • Arabic: مُنَاقَشَة (munāqaša) — clash or disagreement
  • Armenian: կոնֆլիկտ (konflikt) — clash or disagreement
  • Azerbaijani: münaqişə — clash or disagreement
  • Azerbaijani: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Azerbaijani: çəkişmə — clash or disagreement
  • Belarusian: канфлі́кт (kanflíkt) — clash or disagreement
  • Belarusian: сутыкне́нне (sutyknjénnje) — clash or disagreement
  • Belarusian: сутыкне́ньне (sutyknjénʹnje) — clash or disagreement
  • Bengali: যুদ্ধ (juddho) — clash or disagreement
  • Bengali: সংঘর্ষ (śoṅghorśo) — clash or disagreement
  • Bulgarian: стълкнове́ние (stǎlknovénie) — clash or disagreement
  • Bulgarian: конфли́кт (konflíkt) — clash or disagreement
  • Burmese: ပဋိပက္ခ (pa.ti.pakhka.) — clash or disagreement
  • Catalan: conflicte — clash or disagreement
  • Cebuano: away — clash or disagreement
  • Chinese Cantonese: 衝突 /冲突 (cung1 dat6) — clash or disagreement
  • Chinese Mandarin: 衝突 /冲突 (chōngtū) — clash or disagreement
  • Czech: střet — clash or disagreement
  • Czech: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Danish: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Dutch: conflict — clash or disagreement
  • Dutch: geschil — clash or disagreement
  • Dutch: strijd — clash or disagreement
  • Esperanto: konflikto — clash or disagreement
  • Esperanto: kverelo — clash or disagreement
  • Esperanto: malakordo — clash or disagreement
  • Estonian: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Farefare: zɛbrɛ — clash or disagreement
  • Finnish: konflikti — clash or disagreement
  • French: conflit — clash or disagreement
  • West-Frisian: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Galician: conflito — clash or disagreement
  • Galician: tirapuxa — clash or disagreement
  • Georgian: კონფლიქტი (ḳonplikṭi) — clash or disagreement
  • Georgian: განხეთქილება (ganxetkileba) — clash or disagreement
  • German: Konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • German: Streit — clash or disagreement
  • German: Gegensatz — clash or disagreement
  • Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts) — clash or disagreement
  • Greek: σύρραξη (sýrraxi) — clash or disagreement
  • Ancient Greek: σύρραξις (súrrhaxis) — clash or disagreement
  • Ancient Greek: ὑσμίνη (husmínē) — clash or disagreement
  • Hebrew: סִכְסוּךְ (sikhsúkh) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: संघर्ष (saṅgharṣ) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: युद्ध (yuddh) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: द्वंद्व (dvandva) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: विवाद (vivād) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: बखेड़ा (bakheṛā) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: घर्षण (gharṣaṇ) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: कलह (kalah) — clash or disagreement
  • Hindi: निजा (nijā) — clash or disagreement
  • Hungarian: konfliktus — clash or disagreement
  • Icelandic: árekstur — clash or disagreement
  • Icelandic: átök — clash or disagreement
  • Ido: konflikto — clash or disagreement
  • Indonesian: konflik — clash or disagreement
  • Indonesian: pertikaian — clash or disagreement
  • Irish: coinbhleacht — clash or disagreement
  • Irish: coimhlint — clash or disagreement
  • Italian: conflitto — clash or disagreement
  • Japanese: 衝突 (shōtotsu) — clash or disagreement
  • Kazakh: қақтығыс (qaqtyğys) — clash or disagreement
  • Kazakh: жанжал (janjal) — clash or disagreement
  • Kazakh: тартыс (tartys) — clash or disagreement
  • Kazakh: талас-тартыс (talas-tartys) — clash or disagreement
  • Khmer: ជម្លោះ (cɔɔcumlŭəh) — clash or disagreement
  • Khmer: កលហ (kaʼlaʼhaʼ) — clash or disagreement
  • Korean: 분쟁 (bunjaeng) — clash or disagreement
  • Korean: 충돌 (chungdol) — clash or disagreement
  • Korean: 갈등 (galdeung) — clash or disagreement
  • Krio: plaba — clash or disagreement
  • Krio: fɛt — clash or disagreement
  • Krio: kɔnflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Northern Kurdish: nakokî — clash or disagreement
  • Northern Kurdish: şer — clash or disagreement
  • Northern Kurdish: minaqeşe — clash or disagreement
  • Kyrgyz: жаңжал (jaŋjal) — clash or disagreement
  • Kyrgyz: конфликт (konflikt) — clash or disagreement
  • Lao: ຄວາມບາດຫມາງ (khuām bāt māng) — clash or disagreement
  • Latin: cōnflictus — clash or disagreement
  • Latvian: konflikts — clash or disagreement
  • Lithuanian: konfliktas — clash or disagreement
  • Macedonian: су́дир (súdir) — clash or disagreement
  • Macedonian: ко́нфликт (kónflikt) — clash or disagreement
  • Malay: konflik — clash or disagreement
  • Maltese: kunflitt — clash or disagreement
  • Māori: papātanga — clash or disagreement
  • Middle English: win — clash or disagreement
  • Middle English: threp — clash or disagreement
  • Mongolian: мөргөлдөөн (mörgöldöön) — clash or disagreement
  • Mongolian: зөрчил (zörčil) — clash or disagreement
  • Mongolian: зөрчилдөөн (zörčildöön) — clash or disagreement
  • Moore: zabre — clash or disagreement
  • Norwegian Bokmål: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Occitan: conflicte — clash or disagreement
  • Pashto: مناقشه (monāqešá) — clash or disagreement
  • Pashto: شخړه (šxəṛa) — clash or disagreement
  • Iranian Persian: تَضاد (tazâd) — clash or disagreement
  • Iranian Persian: ناسازْگاری (nâsâzgâri) — clash or disagreement
  • Iranian Persian: مُناقِشِه (monâġeše) — clash or disagreement
  • Iranian Persian: نِزاع (nezâ') — clash or disagreement
  • Iranian Persian: دَرْگیری (dargiri) — clash or disagreement
  • Polish: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Polish: walka — clash or disagreement
  • Polish: batalia — clash or disagreement
  • Portuguese: conflito — clash or disagreement
  • Romanian: conflict — clash or disagreement
  • Romanian: ceartă — clash or disagreement
  • Russian: конфли́кт (konflíkt) — clash or disagreement
  • Russian: столкнове́ние (stolknovénije) — clash or disagreement
  • Sanskrit: सम्प्रहार (samprahāra) — clash or disagreement
  • Scottish Gaelic: còmhrag — clash or disagreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: су́коб — clash or disagreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: ко̀нфликт — clash or disagreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: súkob — clash or disagreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: kònflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Slovak: stret — clash or disagreement
  • Slovak: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Slovene: spor — clash or disagreement
  • Slovene: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Slovene: nasprotovanje — clash or disagreement
  • Spanish: conflicto — clash or disagreement
  • Swedish: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Tagalog: tagisan — clash or disagreement
  • Tagalog: tunggalian — clash or disagreement
  • Tagalog: hidwaan — clash or disagreement
  • Tagalog: sigalot — clash or disagreement
  • Tajik: ҷанҷол (janjol) — clash or disagreement
  • Tajik: низоъ (nizo') — clash or disagreement
  • Tajik: муноқиша (munoqiša) — clash or disagreement
  • Tatar: низаг (nizağ) — clash or disagreement
  • Thai: ความขัดแย้ง (kwaam-kàt-yɛ́ɛng) — clash or disagreement
  • Tocharian B: ysalye — clash or disagreement
  • Turkish: çatışma — clash or disagreement
  • Turkish: anlaşmazlık — clash or disagreement
  • Turkmen: dawa — clash or disagreement
  • Turkmen: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Ukrainian: су́тичка (sútyčka) — clash or disagreement
  • Ukrainian: конфлі́кт (konflíkt) — clash or disagreement
  • Urdu: تَصادُم (tasādum) — clash or disagreement
  • Urdu: مُناقَشَہ (munāqaśa) — clash or disagreement
  • Urdu: نِزاع (nizā') — clash or disagreement
  • Urdu: ٹَکَّر (ṭakkar) — clash or disagreement
  • Urdu: تَنازَعَہ (tanāza'a) — clash or disagreement
  • Urdu: تَضاد (tazād) — clash or disagreement
  • Uyghur: توقۇنۇش (toqunush) — clash or disagreement
  • Uyghur: جاڭجال (jangjal) — clash or disagreement
  • Uzbek: konflikt — clash or disagreement
  • Uzbek: toʻqnashuv — clash or disagreement
  • Uzbek: janjal — clash or disagreement
  • Uzbek: nizo — clash or disagreement
  • Uzbek: munoqasha — clash or disagreement
  • Vietnamese: xung đột — clash or disagreement
  • Yiddish: קאָנפֿליקט (konflikt) — clash or disagreement
  • Bulgarian: противоре́чие (protivoréčie) — incompatibility
  • Bulgarian: несъвмести́мост (nesǎvmestímost) — incompatibility
  • Cebuano: dili magkauyon — incompatibility
  • Danish: konflikt — incompatibility
  • Dutch: conflict — incompatibility
  • Dutch: onverenigbaarheid — incompatibility
  • Dutch: tegenstrijdigheid — incompatibility
  • Esperanto: malakordo — incompatibility
  • Finnish: ristiriita — incompatibility
  • French: conflit — incompatibility
  • French: incompatibilité — incompatibility
  • German: Konflikt — incompatibility
  • German: Inkompatibilität — incompatibility
  • Greek: σύγκρουση (sýgkrousi) — incompatibility
  • Hebrew: התנגשות (hitnagshút) — incompatibility
  • Hebrew: חוסר התאמה — incompatibility
  • Hindi: असंगति (asaṅgti) — incompatibility
  • Indonesian: bentrokan — incompatibility
  • Italian: incompatibilità — incompatibility
  • Macedonian: неусогла́сеност (neusoglásenost) — incompatibility
  • Macedonian: противре́чие (protivréčie) — incompatibility
  • Macedonian: проти́вречност (protívrečnost) — incompatibility
  • Macedonian: ко́нфликт (kónflikt) — incompatibility
  • Portuguese: conflito — incompatibility
  • Romanian: conflict — incompatibility
  • Russian: конфли́кт (konflíkt) — incompatibility
  • Russian: несовмести́мость (nesovmestímostʹ) — incompatibility
  • Russian: противоре́чие (protivoréčije) — incompatibility
  • Serbo-Croatian: су́коб — incompatibility
  • Serbo-Croatian: ко̀нфликт — incompatibility
  • Serbo-Croatian: súkob — incompatibility
  • Serbo-Croatian: kònflikt — incompatibility
  • Spanish: discrepancia — incompatibility
  • Swedish: konflikt — incompatibility
  • Bulgarian: противореча (protivoreča) — be at odds (with)
  • Bulgarian: сблъсквам се (sblǎskvam se) — be at odds (with)
  • Danish: være i modstrid med — be at odds (with)
  • Dutch: conflicteren — be at odds (with)
  • Dutch: confligeren — be at odds (with)
  • Dutch: strijdig zijn — be at odds (with)
  • Finnish: olla ristiriidassa — be at odds (with)
  • Finnish: törmätä — be at odds (with)
  • Hebrew: התנגש (hitnagésh) — be at odds (with)
  • Hindi: टकराव (ṭakrāv) — be at odds (with)
  • Indonesian: berkonflik — be at odds (with)
  • Indonesian: bertikai — be at odds (with)
  • Italian: interferire — be at odds (with)
  • Japanese: 衝突する (shōtosu) — be at odds (with)
  • Japanese: 対立する (tairitsu) — be at odds (with)
  • Macedonian: се су́дри (se súdri) — be at odds (with)
  • Macedonian: се су́дира (se súdira) — be at odds (with)
  • Portuguese: conflitar — be at odds (with)
  • Russian: конфликтова́ть (konfliktovátʹ) — be at odds (with)
  • Slovene: (si) nasprotovati — be at odds (with)
  • Spanish: discrepar — be at odds (with)
  • Spanish: estar reñido — be at odds (with)
  • Spanish: confligir — be at odds (with)
  • Spanish: conflictuarse — be at odds (with)
  • Swedish: motstrida — be at odds (with)
  • Ukrainian: конфліктува́ти (konfliktuváty) — be at odds (with)
  • Bulgarian: несъвместим съм (nesǎvmestim sǎm) — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Cebuano: nagsapaw — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Danish: overlappe — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Dutch: overlappen — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Finnish: olla ristiriidassa — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Finnish: törmätä — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Hebrew: התנגש (hitnagésh) — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Hungarian: ütik egymást — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Icelandic: skarast — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Indonesian: bentrok — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Indonesian: tumpang tindih — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Italian: sovrapporsi — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Japanese: バッティングする (battying-suru) — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Japanese: 合わない (awanai) — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Macedonian: се по́клопи (se póklopi) — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Portuguese: coincidir — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Russian: конфликтова́ть (konfliktovátʹ) — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Spanish: coincidir — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Spanish: confligir — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Spanish: conflictuar — overlap with, as in a schedule
  • Swedish: överlappa — overlap with, as in a schedule
Real reading context

conflict in complete knowledge articles