strife

noun

STRYF/stɹaɪf/

5 meanings of strife

1
noununcountable
Serious, angry fighting between people or groups.
Like two families who fight all the time and never make peace.
Years of strife between the two tribes left the valley in ruins.
The town fell into strife after the factory closed and jobs vanished.
Similarconflict, discord, contention, altercation, wrangle
Oppositepeace, harmony, accord, concord
Note
2
noununcountable
A hard struggle to beat others, using strength or clever thinking.
Like two runners pushing hard to cross the line first.
The final lap turned into a fierce strife among the top three runners.
Their strife for the championship pushed both teams to the limit.
Similarrivalry, contention, struggle, competition, conflict
Oppositecooperation, harmony, accord
Note
3
nouncolloquialuncountable
Any kind of trouble or problem.
Don't give me any strife about getting home late.
The new neighbor has been nothing but strife since he moved in.
Similartrouble, bother, hassle, difficulty, grief
4
noununcountable
Hard work and serious effort at something.
After years of strife at the piano, she could finally play the whole piece.
The good harvest came only after months of strife, plowing and weeding from dawn to dusk.
Similartoil, effort, labor, exertion, endeavor
Oppositeidleness, ease, leisure
Note

Less common meaning

5
nounobsoleteuncountable
The thing people fight over, or the reason for a contest.
He ſpide lamenting her unlucky ſtrife,
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, strife means the thing she struggles against, the cause of her trouble.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Old French estrif, from the verb estriver, from a Frankish word. It is related to the word strive.