conflict
conflict — noun
1. A state of tension that arises when people or groups hold different views or pri
A state of tension that arises when people or groups hold different views or principles and cannot reach an agreement.
Ramón had a conflict with his partner over how to spend company profits.
conflict with [someone] over [topic]
The ongoing conflict between the two political parties has delayed every new law this year.
conflict between [groups]
Meera avoids conflict at work, so she rarely shares her true opinion in meetings.
When the conflict with her landlord grew worse, Maja decided to call a lawyer.
- disagreement
more neutral and less intense; any difference of opinion
- dispute
more formal, often about a specific issue or fact
- clash
more sudden and direct, often involving strong emotions
- friction
ongoing low-level tension rather than a single confrontation
- agreement
the state of sharing the same opinion or reaching a common understanding
常見錯誤
2. a period or situation in which two or more countries, armies, or large groups us
a period or situation in which two or more countries, armies, or large groups use weapons against each other.
The armed conflict between the two countries forced thousands of families to abandon their homes.
armed conflict
A peace agreement finally ended twelve years of violent conflict in the region last spring.
Many soldiers returning from conflict zones struggle to adjust to everyday life at home.
The United Nations sent peacekeepers to prevent the conflict from spreading to neighbouring towns.
- war
a sustained, large-scale conflict between countries, usually officially declared
- battle
a single, specific fight within a larger war
- hostilities
formal term for acts of war; often used in news reports
- peace
a state without fighting or war
用法筆記
This sense typically appears with modifiers like 'armed', 'military', or 'violent'. It is used for group-level or international violence, not for individual fights.
常見錯誤
3. A condition where two or more ideas, beliefs, feelings, or pieces of information
A condition where two or more ideas, beliefs, feelings, or pieces of information cannot both be correct or coexist at the same time.
There is a conflict between her beliefs and the advertising her company does.
conflict between [two things]
Femi felt inner conflict about going abroad for work or staying near his parents.
inner conflict
The witness statement is in direct conflict with the footage from the security camera.
Takeshi felt a conflict between his military duty and his feelings about the war.
- contradiction
focuses on logical inconsistency between statements or facts
- clash
more dramatic, suggesting active opposition rather than static incompatibility
- mismatch
less formal; things that do not fit well together
- harmony
a state where things fit together well without contradiction
常見錯誤
4. An ethical problem that arises when a person's private interests or relationship
An ethical problem that arises when a person's private interests or relationships could unfairly influence the decisions they make in a professional role.
A judge must withdraw from a case where a conflict of interest exists.
conflict of interest — fixed legal phrase
The mayor had a conflict of interest because his wife owned shares in the company.
All employees must declare any conflicts of interest before working on a new contract.
The director sold his shares to avoid any conflict of interest during the merger talks.
用法筆記
'Conflict of interest' functions as a fixed collocation in legal, business, and government contexts. It is almost always used with the determiners 'a' or 'any', and frequently appears with the verbs 'declare', 'disclose', 'avoid', or 'remove'.
常見錯誤
conflict — verb
1. when two or more beliefs, facts, statements, or activities are so different that
when two or more beliefs, facts, statements, or activities are so different that they cannot both be true or both happen at the intended time.
Takeshi's work schedule often conflicts with his daughter's school plays and sports days.
conflict with [something]
The two medical studies conflict, so the team plans to run another experiment.
two things conflict (no preposition)
Hoa's personal values conflict with the aggressive sales methods her company expects her to use.
The new DNA evidence conflicts with everything the first police report claimed about the suspect.
- contradict
stronger and more direct — one statement actively denies another
- clash
less formal, suggests a sharper and more noticeable opposition
- differ
softer — simply not being the same, without implying incompatibility
文法句型
conflict + with [something]
用法筆記
This sense is always intransitive — the two items are linked by 'with' or opposed in a 'X and Y conflict' structure. It cannot take a direct object (*'the evidence conflicts the claim').
常見錯誤
2. to engage in active fighting or heated disagreement with someone, often over a l
to engage in active fighting or heated disagreement with someone, often over a long period or about an important issue.
The two brothers have been conflicting over their father's property since the will was read.
conflict over [something]
Neighbouring fishing communities have conflicted with each other over access to the river for decades.
conflict with each other over [something]
When the tribes conflicted over the grazing land, village elders stepped in to negotiate.
The two committees conflicted repeatedly over how to divide the annual budget.
- cooperate
to work together towards a shared goal
文法句型
conflict + with [someone] + over [something]
用法筆記
This sense is less common in modern everyday English than the noun senses or verb sense 1. It is usually replaced by 'fight', 'argue', or 'disagree' in informal speech, and tends to appear in more formal or literary writing.