Meaning & use
personality conflict
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
a situation in which two or more people disagree or feel annoyed with each other because their characters are very different.
Grammar: Can be countable (a personality conflict) or uncountable (personality conflict in the team).
Patterns
- a personality conflict between people
- have a personality conflict with someone
- cause a personality conflict
The manager tried to solve the personality conflict between the two team members.
There was a personality conflict between the two managers, so they were assigned to different projects.
Personality conflict can lower morale if it is not addressed.
noununcountable
ongoing tension or dislike between people that comes from differences in character rather than from work issues.
Grammar: Often used without an article when speaking generally: Personality conflict is common in large teams.
Patterns
- personality conflict in a team
- personality conflict at work
Personality conflict at work can be more difficult to manage than technical problems.
The report blamed personality conflict for the project's delay.
Word forms
| plural | personality conflicts |
|---|
Common combinations
- a personality conflict between
- There is a personality conflict between the two supervisors.
- have a personality conflict with
- She has a personality conflict with her new colleague.
- resolve a personality conflict
- The HR team helped resolve the personality conflict.
- personality conflict at work
- Personality conflict at work can affect productivity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clash of personalities
- More informal and often used for a single strong disagreement; 'personality conflict' suggests a longer-lasting problem.
- friction
- Friction is milder and can refer to any slight tension, not necessarily based on personality.
Opposites
Word family
- personality noun
- The combination of characteristics that form a person's character.
- conflict noun
- A serious disagreement or argument.
Commonly confused: personality conflict or conflict of interest?
personality conflict vs conflict of interest
A conflict of interest is a situation where someone's personal interests might influence their professional decisions, not a clash of characters.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'personality conflict' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B correctly describes tension between people because of their characters. Option An is wrong because a budget disagreement is not about personality. Option C is wrong because a computer does not have a personality. Option D is wrong because changing the office layout does not address a personality conflict.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “personality conflict”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.