Direct oppositions or meetings between people or groups with conflicting interests or beliefs.
From Latin 'confrontare' (con- 'together' + frons 'face') meaning to face one another. It entered English in the 16th century with the sense of meeting face-to-face, often in conflict.
The word 'confront' literally means to stand 'front-to-front' with someone—which is why confrontations feel so intense and personal, because historically they meant facing your opponent directly rather than from a distance!
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