Define Literary Term Conflict | Types And Examples

Conflict is the engine under the hood of plot. A character wants something, something pushes back, and the story starts to move. Without that pushback, scenes can feel like a list of events: this happened, then that happened, and nothing feels at stake.

This guide defines the literary term conflict in plain language, shows the main types you’ll see in class, and gives quick tests you can use while reading or writing.

Define Literary Term Conflict With Clear Types

When teachers say “conflict,” they mean a struggle between opposing forces. One side is usually the main character’s goal. The other side is whatever blocks it: another person, a rule, a storm, a machine, a curse, a deadline, or the character’s own doubt.

A clean way to spot conflict is to ask three questions:

• What does the character want right now?
• What stands in the way?
• What happens if they fail?

If you can answer all three, you’ve found the conflict. If you can only answer the first, you may be looking at a wish, not a conflict. If you can’t answer the third, the story may need higher stakes.

Types Of Literary Conflict At A Glance

When you see someone ask “define literary term conflict,” they usually want a short definition plus the common types, not a long plot summary.

Many stories carry more than one conflict type at once. A student may face a strict school rule (society) while also battling guilt (self). Use the labels below as a sorting tool, not a box that traps the story.

Conflict Type	What It Looks Like	Common Signals In A Text
Character Vs Self	One person wrestles with fear, pride, grief, desire, or loyalty	Hesitation, rationalizing, private promises, reversals, regret
Character Vs Character	Two people want clashing outcomes	Arguments, rival plans, threats, sabotage, bargaining
Character Vs Society	A person clashes with laws, norms, institutions, or group pressure	Rules, punishment, gossip, injustice, “that’s how it’s done”
Character Vs Nature	Weather, terrain, illness, hunger, or animals block survival or travel	Storms, injuries, scarcity, cold, heat, exhaustion
Character Vs Technology	Machines, systems, or tools create risk or limit choices	Breakdowns, surveillance, errors, dependency, loss of control
Character Vs Fate	Prophecy, chance, timing, or an unavoidable outcome presses in	Omens, deadlines, “no way out,” ironic twists, unlucky turns
Character Vs Supernatural	Gods, spirits, monsters, magic, or curses oppose the goal	Hauntings, spells, forbidden places, rituals, unnatural events
Character Vs Circumstance	Money, distance, bureaucracy, time, or coincidence blocks progress	Missed buses, lost papers, sudden layoffs, locked doors, shortages

Internal Conflict And External Conflict

Teachers often group conflicts into two buckets: internal and external. Internal conflict happens inside one character’s mind and heart. External conflict happens between the character and an outside force.

Here’s a quick check. If the obstacle can argue back, chase back, or physically block the character, it’s external. If the obstacle is a belief, fear, or competing desire, it’s internal.

Internal conflict often makes external conflict hit harder. A character might face a rival (external), then freeze because they fear failure (internal). That mix is where many stories get their tension.

Why Writers Use Both

External conflict creates action you can see on the page. Internal conflict explains why that action matters to the character. Put them together and you get choices that feel personal, not random.

The Oregon State guide to literary terms describes conflict as opposing desire in fiction, which is a handy way to keep your attention on what the character wants. Oregon State’s conflict explanation is also a refresher if you need a classroom-friendly definition.

Conflict As The Shape Of Plot

Plot is not just “events.” Plot is events linked by cause and effect. Conflict is the pressure that creates those links. When an obstacle blocks the goal, the character must act, and each action triggers the next problem.

Many teachers map plot with stages like rising action and climax. Conflict is what rises. The clash intensifies, choices get tighter, and the story builds toward a moment where something has to give.

If you’re reviewing terms for class, Purdue’s list of literary terms can help you connect conflict with other plot terms like climax and resolution.

How To Find The Main Conflict In Any Story

Stories can juggle many problems at once. The main conflict is the struggle that drives the biggest choices and keeps returning in scene after scene.

Use this quick method:

1. Circle the main goal. What does the protagonist chase from the opening pages?
2. Underline the biggest blocker. Which force keeps stopping that goal?
3. Track the cost. What does the protagonist risk losing: safety, love, freedom, identity, home?
4. Check the final turn. What gets settled near the end? That’s usually the main conflict.

If two struggles feel tied, pick the one that makes the ending feel earned. In a mystery, the main conflict might be “solve the crime” even if the detective also faces a broken marriage.

What Conflict Is Not

Students often mix up conflict with related terms. Sorting them apart makes essays cleaner.

Conflict Vs Problem

A problem is any challenge. Conflict is a problem with opposition and consequences. A character with a flat tire has a problem. If the flat tire causes them to miss a hearing that decides custody, the problem turns into conflict because the cost is real.

Conflict Vs Tension

Tension is the feeling of suspense or strain. Conflict is the source. A quiet dinner scene can carry high tension if two characters want opposite outcomes and neither will say it out loud.

Conflict Vs Theme

Theme is the idea the story leaves you thinking about. Conflict is the struggle that forces the idea into view. A theme like “loyalty has a price” usually shows up because the protagonist must choose between people they love.

Conflict In Different Genres And Formats

Conflict shows up in every genre, but it wears different clothes. In a romance, the clash may be about trust, timing, or a promise that can’t be broken. In a thriller, the opposing force often has teeth: a pursuer, a secret, a ticking deadline. In fantasy, a curse or prophecy may press the hero into choices they’d prefer to dodge.

In film and drama, conflict often sits in what characters say and what they refuse to say. In poems, conflict can be quieter, living in tension, shifts in tone, or a speaker who can’t settle on one truth. In nonfiction narratives, conflict can come from a real barrier like a policy, a court decision, or a physical challenge.

On essays, name the type, then prove it with text.

Raising Stakes Without Making The Story Unreal

Stakes are what the character gains or loses. Higher stakes do not mean bigger explosions. They mean clearer costs.

To raise stakes in a grounded way, try these moves:

• Add a deadline. Time pressure turns choices sharp.
• Make the loss personal. Tie failure to something the character values.
• Force a tradeoff. Let the character win one thing only by losing another.
• Increase visibility. Let others witness the failure, raising shame or risk.

Watch for fake stakes. If the text keeps saying something is dangerous but nothing changes when the character fails, readers stop trusting the threat.

Common Conflict Patterns Teachers Love In Essays

When you write about conflict, teachers usually want more than a label. They want a short claim plus proof from the text.

Try this sentence frame:

The story’s main conflict is ______ because ______, which raises the stakes when ______.

Then follow it with a quote or a moment that shows the clash. Tie that moment to the character’s goal and the cost of failure.

One Scene Test

Pick one scene and write a three-line breakdown:

• Goal: ______
• Obstacle: ______
• Cost: ______

If you can do that, you can write a solid paragraph about conflict with text evidence.

Using Conflict In Your Own Writing

If you’re drafting a short story, conflict keeps you from writing “slice of life” scenes that drift. Start by choosing a goal that can be blocked.

Start With A Want, Not A Theme

Theme can come later. Begin with a want: a scholarship, a second chance, a secret kept, a friend forgiven. Then choose an opposing force that will not move easily.

Give The Opposing Force A Reason

Rivals work best when they want something too. A parent who says “no” may be scared, not cruel. A school rule may exist to stop chaos. When the opposing force has logic, conflict feels sharper.

Let Choices Create New Trouble

Conflict grows when the character’s response creates the next obstacle. If the protagonist lies to avoid trouble, the lie should later trap them. If they run, they should lose access to help.

What You See In The Story	What It Usually Means	A Fix While Writing Or Revising
The hero wants something, then gets it with no pushback	The goal has no real opposition	Add a blocker with power: a person, rule, limit, or deadline
Lots of arguing, but nothing changes	Clashes lack consequences	Attach a cost to the outcome of the scene
Events happen, but they could be swapped in any order	Weak cause and effect	Make each choice create the next problem
The villain feels random	Opposing force lacks motive	Give the opposing force a goal and a reason
The ending feels sudden	The main conflict was not settled on page	Return to the core goal and resolve it in a clear scene
The character keeps winning the same way	No growth under pressure	Change the tactic, or raise the cost of repeating it

Practice Prompts For Class Or Self-Study

Want quick practice without rereading a whole book? Try short prompts that force you to name a conflict fast.

• A student needs a recommendation letter, but the teacher thinks they cheated last term.
• A nurse must choose between hospital rules and a patient’s last request.
• A family’s power goes out during a heat wave, and the nearest shelter is full.
• A musician gets a record deal that demands they drop their bandmates.
• A town bans a tradition the main character’s job depends on.

Label the type, then write the goal, obstacle, and cost. You’ll feel the difference between “a situation” and “a conflict” in minutes.

Quick Recap For Your Notes

You can write “define literary term conflict” as: a struggle that blocks a character’s goal and creates consequences. Name the goal, name the blocker, name the cost clearly. Then label the type: self, character, society, nature, technology, fate, supernatural, or circumstance.

If your teacher asks for the “main conflict,” pick the struggle that drives the biggest choices and gets settled at the end.