adversary
adversary
/ˈædvɝˌsɛɹi/
nouna person that one is opposed to and fights or competes with
Examples
against
against
/əˈɡeɪnst/, /əˈɡɛnst/
prepositionin opposition to someone or something
Examples
all hell [break] (loose|out)
all hell [break] (loose|out)
/ˈɔːl hˈɛl bɹˈeɪk lˈuːs ˈaʊt/
phraseused when a situation suddenly becomes very intense or chaotic
Examples
altercation
altercation
/ˌɑɫtɝˈkeɪʃən/
nouna noisy dispute
Examples
anti
anti
/ˈænˌtaɪ/, /ˈænˌti/
prepositionagainst; in disagreement with
Examples
to argue
to argue
/ˈɑɹɡju/
verbto speak to someone often angrily because one disagrees with them
Examples
argument
argument
/ˈɑɹɡjəmənt/
nouna discussion, typically a serious one, between two or more people with different views
Examples
to argue with
to argue with
/ˈɑːɹɡjuː wɪð/
verbto deny a statement
Examples
argumentative
argumentative
/ˌɑɹɡjəˈmɛntətɪv/
adjective(of a person) ready to argue and often arguing
Examples
as a matter of fact
as a matter of fact
/æz ɐ mˈæɾɚɹ ʌv fˈækt/
adverbsaid to disagree with what someone just said
Examples
athwart
athwart
/əθˈwɔɹt/
prepositionopposite to; against
Examples
at loggerheads
at loggerheads
/æt lˈɔɡɚhˌɛdz/
phrasein serious disagreement
Examples
at odds with {sth}
at odds with {sth}
/æt ˈɑːdz wɪð ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/
phrasedisagreeing with someone over something
Examples
bad feelings
bad feelings
/bˈæd fˈiːlɪŋz/
nounfeeling of anger between people, particularly because of an argument
Examples
to [bang] {one's} heads together
to [bang] {one's} heads together
/bˈæŋ wˈʌnz hˈɛdz təɡˈɛðɚ/
phraseto forcefully make people stop arguing and start behaving appropriately
Examples
battle
battle
/ˈbætəɫ/
nouna situation in which opposing sides argue or compete with one another to achieve something
Examples
battleground
battleground
/ˈbætəɫˌɡɹaʊnd/
nouna subject of dispute; a situation in which people disagree
Examples
to [beard] the lion in (his|her) den
to [beard] the lion in (his|her) den
/bˈɪɹd ðə lˈaɪən ɪn hɪz hɜː dˈɛn/
phraseto visit a person of authority and demand things of them or tell them that one disagrees with them
Examples
at each other’s throats
at each other’s throats
/æt ˈiːtʃ ˈʌðɚz θɹˈoʊts/
phraseused when two or more people, groups, or organizations fight or disagree with one another
Examples
bellicose
bellicose
/ˈbɛɫəˌkoʊs/
adjectivedisplaying a willingness to start an argument, fight, or war
Examples
bellicosity
bellicosity
/bˌɛlɪkˈɑːsɪɾi/
nounthe desire to start an argument, fight, or war
Examples
to bicker
to bicker
/ˈbɪkɝ/
verbto argue over unimportant things
Examples
bickering
bickering
/ˈbɪkɝɪŋ/
nounargument over unimportant things
Examples
to [bite|hold] {one's} (tongue|lip)
to [bite|hold] {one's} (tongue|lip)
/bˈaɪt hˈoʊld wˈʌnz tˈʌŋ lˈɪp/
phraseto not say something, against one's wish, in order to avoid causing an argument or upsetting someone
Examples
bone of contention
bone of contention
/bˈoʊn ʌv kəntˈɛnʃən/
phrasea subject over which people disagree
Examples
but
but
/ˈbət/
conjunctionsaid to introduce a statement that displays one's surprise, anger, or disagreement
Examples
to carry on
to carry on
/kˈæɹi ˈɑːn/
verbto keep arguing or complaining in a way that is annoying
Examples
challenging
challenging
/ˈtʃæɫəndʒɪŋ/
adjectivecausing disagreement or competition
Examples
clash
clash
/ˈkɫæʃ/
nouna serious argument between two sides caused by their different views and beliefs
Examples
to clash
to clash
/ˈkɫæʃ/
verbto strongly and publicly argue or disagree with someone
Examples
to collide
to collide
/kəˈɫaɪd/
verb(of people, their opinions, ideas, etc.) to seriously disagree
Examples
collision
collision
/kəˈɫɪʒən/
nouna serious disagreement between people, ideas, opinions, etc.
Examples
combative
combative
/ˌkɑmˈbæˌtɪv/, /kəmˈbætɪv/
adjectiveeager and ready to start an argument or fight
Examples
come off it
come off it
/kˈʌm ˈɔf ɪt/
sentenceused to tell someone that they should stop saying or doing a particular thing
Examples
to [come] out on top
to [come] out on top
/kˈʌm ˈaʊt ˌɑːn tˈɑːp/
phraseto win an argument or other competitive situation
Examples
conflict
conflict
/ˈkɑnfɫɪkt/, /kənˈfɫɪkt/
nouna strong disagreement, usually a prolonged one
Examples
to conflict
to conflict
/ˈkɑnfɫɪkt/, /kənˈfɫɪkt/
verb(of two ideas, opinions, etc.) to oppose each other
Examples
to confront
to confront
/kənˈfɹənt/
verbto face someone, particularly in a way that is unfriendly or threatening
Examples
confrontation
confrontation
/ˌkɑnfɹənˈteɪʃən/
nouna situation of hostility or strong disagreement between two opposing individuals, parties, or groups
Examples
confrontational
confrontational
/ˌkɑnfɹənˈteɪʃənəɫ/
adjectivelikely to cause arguments because of being aggressive
Examples
contention
contention
/kənˈtɛnʃən/
nounstrong disagreement
Examples
contentious
contentious
/kənˈtɛnʃəs/
adjective*** someone who is contentious often argues with people
Examples
to contradict
to contradict
/ˌkɑntɹəˈdɪkt/
verbto disagree with someone, particularly by asserting the opposite of their statement
Examples
contrarian
contrarian
/ˌkɑnˈtɹɛɹiən/
nounsomeone who acts against popular opinion, particularly in investment markets
Examples
contretemps
contretemps
/ˈkɑntɹəˌtɛmps/
nouna slight disagreement or an unpleasant event that causes embarrassment
Examples
controversial
controversial
/ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəɫ/
adjectivecausing a lot of strong public disagreement or discussion
Examples
controversially
controversially
/kˌɑːntɹəvˈɜːʃəli/
adverbin a way that causes strong public disagreement
Examples
controversy
controversy
/ˈkɑntɹəˌvɝsi/
nouna strong disagreement or argument over something that involves many people
Examples
to [ask] for trouble
to [ask] for trouble
/ˈæsk fɔːɹ tɹˈʌbəl/
phraseto do something that is very likely to result in trouble or difficulty
Examples
on a collision course
on a collision course
/ˌɑːn ɐ kəlˈɪʒən kˈoːɹs/
phrasein a situation that is likely to cause a disagreement or fight
Examples