confrontation

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UK/ˌkɒn.fɹənˈteɪ.ʃən/US/ˌkɑn.fɹənˈteɪ.ʃən/Australia/ˌkɔn.fɹənˈtæɪ.ʃən/

noun

The act of confronting or challenging another, especially face to face.

Similar
confrontalshowdownencounterface-offopposition
Less commonScrabble 18
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Word of the Day · Dec 14, 2021

Meanings

nounconfrontation (countable and uncountable, plural confrontations)

plural confrontations

  1. countableuncountableThe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face to face.

    During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, this commitment brought him into frequent critical confrontation with entrenched forms of conservative thinking (in academic areas from history and social science to the more abstract domains of ethical and political philosophy)[…]

    1999, Nicholas Walker, “The Reorientation of Critical Theory: Habermas”, in Simon Glemdinning, editor, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy, Routledge, →ISBN, page 489

    Synonyms: confrontal, showdown

  2. countableuncountableA conflict between armed forces.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face to face.

Similar
confrontalshowdown

More synonyms by meaning

nouna hostile disagreement face-to-face

Similar
encountershowdownface-off
Broader
disagreement

nounthe act of hostile groups opposing each other

Similar
opposition
Broader
resistance
Also see
confrontalencounterface-offoppositionshowdown

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From Middle French. Morphologically confront + -ation.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُوَاجَهَة, مُجَابَهَة
  • مُوَاجَهَة (muwājaha)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • مُجَابَهَة (mujābaha)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Bulgarian конфронта́ция, противопоста́вяне
  • конфронта́ция (konfrontácija)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • противопоста́вяне (protivopostávjane)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • конфронта́ция (konfrontácija)a conflict between armed forces
  • би́тка (bítka)a conflict between armed forces
  • стълкнове́ние (stălknovénie)a conflict between armed forces
Catalan confrontació, confrontament
  • confrontacióthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • confrontamentthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • enfrontamentthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • afrontamentthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Chinese Mandarin 對峙 /对峙, 對質 /对质
  • 對峙 /对峙 (duìzhì)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 對質 /对质 (duìzhì)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 衝突 /冲突 (chōngtū, chōngtú)a conflict between armed forces
Czech konfrontace
  • konfrontacethe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Danish konfrontation
  • konfrontationthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Dutch confrontatie, confrontatie
  • confrontatiethe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • confrontatiea conflict between armed forces
Estonian konfrontatsioon, vastasseis
  • konfrontatsioonthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • vastasseisthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Finnish yhteenotto, vaatiminen
  • yhteenottothe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • vaatiminenthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • konfrontaatiothe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • yhteenottoa conflict between armed forces
French confrontation, confrontation
  • confrontationthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • confrontationa conflict between armed forces
German Konfrontation, Gegenüberstellung
  • Konfrontationthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • Gegenüberstellungthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • Konfrontationa conflict between armed forces
  • Auseinandersetzunga conflict between armed forces
Hebrew עִמּוּת \ עימות
  • עִמּוּת \ עימות ('imut)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Hindi मुक़ाबला, आमना-सामना
  • मुक़ाबला (muqāblā)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • आमना-सामना (āmnā-sāmnā)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Hungarian szembesítés, konfrontáció
  • szembesítésthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • konfrontációthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Italian confronto, scontro
  • confrontothe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • scontroa conflict between armed forces
Japanese 対決, 対立
  • 対決 (taiketsu)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 対立 (tairitsu)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 直面 (chokumen)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 衝突 (shōtotsu)a conflict between armed forces
Korean 대결, 대치
  • 대결 (daegyeol)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 대치 (daechi)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 대립 (daerip)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • 충돌 (chungdol)a conflict between armed forces
Latvian konfrontācija
  • konfrontācijathe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Lithuanian konfrontacija
  • konfrontacijathe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Norwegian Bokmål konfrontasjon
  • konfrontasjonthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Polish konfrontacja
  • konfrontacjathe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Portuguese confronto, briga
  • confrontothe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • brigathe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • confrontoa conflict between armed forces
Romanian confruntare
  • confruntarethe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Russian конфронта́ция, противостоя́ние
  • конфронта́ция (konfrontácija)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • противостоя́ние (protivostojánije)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • противобо́рство (protivobórstvo)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • конфронта́ция (konfrontácija)a conflict between armed forces
  • противостоя́ние (protivostojánije)a conflict between armed forces
  • столкнове́ние (stolknovénije)a conflict between armed forces
  • сты́чка (stýčka)a conflict between armed forces
Slovak konfrontácia
  • konfrontáciathe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Spanish confrontación
  • confrontaciónthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Swedish konfrontation
  • konfrontationthe act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
Ukrainian конфронта́ція, протистоя́ння
  • конфронта́ція (konfrontácija)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • протистоя́ння (protystojánnja)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • конфронта́ція (konfrontácija)a conflict between armed forces
  • протистоя́ння (protystojánnja)a conflict between armed forces
  • су́тичка (sútyčka)a conflict between armed forces
  • зі́ткнення (zítknennja)a conflict between armed forces
Urdu مُقابْلَہ, آمْنا سامْنا
  • مُقابْلَہ (muqābla)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face
  • آمْنا سامْنا (āmnā sāmnā)the act of confronting or challenging another, especially face-to-face

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with confrontation

informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

confrontation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confrontation

MLA

“confrontation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confrontation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “confrontation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confrontation.

Source: confrontation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.