CONFRONTATIONS Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

confrontations

noun

plural of confrontation

as in rivalries

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the softball rivals met in an epic confrontation on the last weekend of the summer

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of confrontations If last week’s Atlanta News First debate discouraged direct confrontations, Tuesday’s Atlanta Press Club showdown gave the two rivals room to unload on each other. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined student protesters in France on Tuesday after weeks of violent confrontations with police, thousands of arrests and widespread school closures over demands for education reform. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Videos of social media shows NYPD officers and protesters involved in physical confrontations, dueign which Democratic Congressional nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier was pushed to the ground. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026 The cause of their displeasure has to do with scenes woven throughout that illustrate how Baldwin got his reputation for angry outbursts – confrontations with paparazzi through the years, for instance. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 Englert also cites more confrontations with corrections officers and confiscated weapons. — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 The war’s repercussions have spread across the Middle East, including conflict in Lebanon and confrontations involving Iran and the United States, while Israel faces a divisive election and questions over security failures. — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Three Colombian former soldiers were killed during the confrontations, including a co-leader of the squad. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 Because China’s system is tightly controlled, its descent into personalistic one-man rule does not play out in divisive confrontations on television or erratic social media rants by the top leader. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontations

Noun

Fans care about rivalries among teams made up of students who generally progress through college and exhaust their eligibility alongside their classmates, rather than athletes whose college careers extend well beyond the traditional timeline.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
There are a few big rivalries in the NFL, but almost none have as much history as Chicago and Green Bay.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of rivalries

Noun

Policy Policy Your guide to the Supreme Court, federal courts, judicial nominations, and the legal battles shaping American policy.

— Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
That changed after the 2020 presidential election, when secretaries of state in places such as Arizona, Georgia and Michigan were thrust into battles over election results, certification and false claims of widespread fraud.

— Thom Reilly, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of battles

Noun

Getting access to sumo stables, wrestlers, their traditions, rituals and thinking and struggles can’t have been easy.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
The sketch took aim at reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, including plumbing issues and mental-health struggles among the crew during their extended deployment.

— Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggles

Noun

In defence, his lack of physicality is becoming more glaring in a Premier League that is leaning more heavily than ever into duels, second balls and set pieces.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The noodles, the cheese, the topping, the consistency—duels have been fought over less.

— Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of duels

Noun

Although the strategic consequences of their actions may ultimately benefit Iran in its own regional and international conflicts, the Houthis see their military campaign against Saudi Arabia chiefly as an act of national defense.

— Laurent Bonnefoy, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Many of those executed were arrested in Derna and Benghazi cities during or after conflicts between the LNA and opposing armed groups between 2014 and 2018, according to the Wednesday report.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of conflicts

Noun

To the extent these independent contentions were intended to imply that NBA rules permit teams, at the request of players, to initiate off-court income opportunities for players, that implication is incorrect.

— John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Many healthcare policy analysts disagree with these contentions about fraud, noting partisan politics have now become part of the dissemination of government reports.

— Robert Applebaum, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of contentions

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confrontational

confrontations

confronted

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“Confrontations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontations. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of confrontations

noun

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