confrontation
Americannoun
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an act of confronting.
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the state of being confronted.
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a meeting of persons face to face.
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an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc.
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a bringing together of ideas, themes, etc., for comparison.
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Psychology. a technique used in group therapy, as in encounter groups, in which one is forced to recognize one's shortcomings and their possible consequences.
noun
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the act or an instance of confronting
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a situation of mutual hostility between two powers or nations without open warfare
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a state of conflict between two antagonistic forces, creeds, or ideas etc
Other Word Forms
- confrontational adjective
- nonconfrontation noun
- reconfrontation noun
Etymology
Origin of confrontation
First recorded in 1625–35; confront + -ation; compare Medieval Latin confrontātiō, French, Middle French confrontation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He then returned and became involved in a confrontation.
From BBC
Such scenes of devastation are fresh in the memories of all Israelis, but particularly residents of the Tel Aviv area, which was badly hit during the previous confrontation between the two arch-foes last June.
From Barron's
But a New York City Department of Investigation report found the SRG’s tactics during the protests “may have unnecessarily provoked confrontations between police and protesters.”
Iranian state media acknowledged his death late Saturday; Khamenei had led the Islamic Republic since 1989, centralizing religious and political power and steering Iran into prolonged confrontation with both Israel and the United States.
From Salon
It demonstrates to China and Russia that a direct confrontation with the U.S. would be extraordinarily damaging.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
