Meaning & use
unnecessary conflict
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A fight, argument, or struggle that could have been avoided because nothing important is at stake.
Grammar: Countable when you mean one specific dispute (an unnecessary conflict); uncountable when you mean the general situation (avoid unnecessary conflict).
Patterns
- cause unnecessary conflict
- avoid unnecessary conflict
- unnecessary conflict between someone and someone
- unnecessary conflict over something
The manager's blunt email caused unnecessary conflict between the two teams.
Good leaders try to avoid unnecessary conflict over small details.
Most of the unnecessary conflict in the family came from misunderstandings about money.
nouncountable or uncountableformal
A situation in which two countries or groups fight when talking could have solved the problem.
Grammar: Often used with 'between' plus two parties: conflict between the two states.
Patterns
- unnecessary conflict between countries
- lead to unnecessary conflict
- prevent unnecessary conflict
Historians argue that the war was an unnecessary conflict created by pride.
The treaty was designed to prevent unnecessary conflict in the region.
Common combinations
- cause unnecessary conflict
- Bringing up old mistakes will only cause unnecessary conflict.
- avoid unnecessary conflict
- She stayed quiet to avoid unnecessary conflict at dinner.
- unnecessary conflict between
- There is unnecessary conflict between the sales and design teams.
- unnecessary conflict over
- They had unnecessary conflict over who should sit where.
- lead to unnecessary conflict
- Misread messages often lead to unnecessary conflict online.
Synonyms and how they differ
- needless argument
- More informal and usually about a spoken quarrel rather than a long struggle.
- pointless dispute
- Sounds more formal and legal, and stresses that the disagreement has no purpose.
- friction
- Describes quiet, ongoing tension rather than an open fight, so it is milder.
Opposites
Word family
- conflict noun
- A serious disagreement or struggle between people or groups.
- conflicting adjective
- Describing two things that cannot both be true or cannot work together.
Commonly confused: unnecessary conflict or unnecessarily conflicted?
unnecessary conflict vs unnecessarily conflicted
This describes a person who feels torn inside, not a dispute between people.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unnecessary conflict' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Unnecessary conflict' is a noun phrase for a dispute between people or groups, so option A fits. Option B confuses it with feeling 'conflicted' inside, and options C and D use it as an adjective or verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unnecessary conflict”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.