Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Sharply and harshly discordant: Describing things that are in strong, often unpleasant, conflict or disagreement with each other.
   • Not in harmony: Describing elements, especially colors or sounds, that are mismatched and create a jarring effect when combined.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The clashing interests of the two groups made negotiation difficult. (The sharply conflicting goals of the two groups created a barrier to agreement.)
  • She wore clashing colors to the party, pairing a bright orange shirt with a neon green skirt. (Her outfit featured colors that were harshly mismatched and visually jarring.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be clashing with": to be in direct and obvious conflict with something.
  • His aggressive management style is clashing with the company's collaborative culture. (His approach is directly conflicting with the established, cooperative environment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Clash (verb/noun): To come into conflict; a conflict.
  • The protesters clashed with police. (The protesters came into violent conflict with the police.)
  • There was a clash of opinions during the meeting. (There was a strong conflict of opinions.)

Synonyms

• Conflicting: Being in opposition or disagreement.
• Discordant: Lacking in harmony; incongruous.
• Incompatible: Incapable of existing together in harmony.

Related Phrases

• A clash of cultures: A severe conflict arising from the differences between two cultural groups.
  • Moving to a new country sometimes results in a clash of cultures. (Relocating can lead to severe conflict due to cultural differences.)

Related Idioms

• To clash with: To have a serious argument or fight with someone.
  • The CEO often clashes with the board of directors over strategy. (The CEO frequently has serious arguments with the board about the company's direction.)

Adjective

1. sharply and harshly discordant
   • clashing interests of loggers and conservationists
   • clashing colors