conflict

SayKON-flikt/ˈkɑn.flɪkt/UK/ˈkɒn.flɪkt/

As a verbkuhn-FLIKT

Pluralconflicts

Verbconflicts, conflicting, conflicted

5 meanings of conflict

Practice

1
fightnouncountable or uncountable
A struggle or disagreement between opposing people or groups, often one that turns violent.
Decades of conflict left the region devastated and its people displaced.
The peace talks aimed to end the long conflict between the rival factions.
UsageConflict between or with groups; people are in conflict over something, and fighting with weapons is armed conflict.
Similarstrife, fighting, war, struggle, clash
Oppositepeace, harmony, agreement, accord
2
clash of interestsnouncountable
An incompatibility between two things that cannot both be satisfied at the same time.
A conflict between personal interest and public duty must be disclosed to the board.
The investigation revealed a conflict in the two witnesses' accounts of the night.
UsageCommon in a conflict of interest (plural conflicts of interest) and in a conflict between two things.
Similarclash, discrepancy, inconsistency, contradiction, incompatibility
Oppositeagreement, consistency, compatibility
3
verbintransitive
To be at variance with something, so that the two cannot both be true, accepted, or followed.
The new safety rules conflict with longstanding company practice.
Eyewitness reports often conflict when memories of an event fade.
UsageTwo things conflict, or one conflicts with another: rules that conflict with practice.
Similarclash, disagree, differ
Oppositeagree, harmonize, accord, tally
4
nouncountable or uncountable
An inner struggle between two incompatible feelings that a person has at the same moment.
The novel traces the heroine's conflict between love for her husband and resentment of the life he has given her.
Torn between relief and guilt, he lived for months in a state of conflict he could not explain to anyone.
Similarstruggle, ambivalence, turmoil, tension

Less common meaning

5
verbintransitive
To overlap in timing with something else, as when two scheduled events coincide.
The two fundraisers conflict this year, so supporters will have to choose one.
The dentist appointment conflicts with the team meeting this afternoon.
UsageSaid of events and times: my class conflicts with work, or the two meetings conflict.
Similarclash, overlap, coincide, collide

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of conflict apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Latin confligere meant "to strike together" and was built from com- ("together," a form of con-) and fligere ("to strike"); its past participle, conflictus, is where the English word comes from.