Strife Meaning
/stɹaɪf/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounStriving; earnest endeavor; hard work.
nounExertion or contention for superiority, either by physical or intellectual means.
Sentence Examples
Marriage, in peace, is this world's paradise; in strife, this life's purgatory.
Strife is the rock on which the party split.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ between the two families lasted for many years.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The country has faced years of internal ____, with regular protests and unrest in the major city units.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English strif, stryf, striffe, from Old French estrif, noun derived from estriver, from Frankish *strīban; compare Dutch strijven. More at strive.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife."
— c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
"Hee is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions, and ſtrifes of wordes,[…]"
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 6:4:
"He ſpide lamenting her unlucky ſtrife,"
— 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ between the two families lasted for many years.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The country has faced years of internal ____, with regular protests and unrest in the major city units.