# Grammar question: Conflicting vs Conflicted **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115 "2023-06-06T17:40:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/1 "2023-06-06T17:40:40Z")
My GF, who is a professional editor (and a good one) was stumped by this (bolding mine): _“If the agency and principal duties seem a bit **conflicting** it is because they are. This is why the SEC decided to create regulation…”_ She has the sense that it should be “conflicted” instead of “conflicting” but she is not sure. Is there a factual answer to this? Opinions? ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/2 "2023-06-06T17:45:56Z")
Well, the reference to the SEC makes me think it’s US English. Here’s what Merriam-Webster has to say: **conflicting** : being in conflict, collision, or opposition : INCOMPATIBLE (example: conflicting theories) **conflicted** : experiencing or marked by ambivalence or a conflict especially of emotions (example: this unhappy and conflicted modern woman, by John Updike; conflicted feelings) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/3 "2023-06-06T17:52:04Z")
The term “conflicted” applies to a state of mind and hence is typically associated with the feelings of a person or the personification of an organization, while “conflicting” applies to a set of facts. In this case one can make an argument for either, depending on whether one wants to regard the agency as possessing feelings and motivations or simply regard the scenario as a set of incongruent facts, so I don’t think there’s an incontrovertible factual answer. Personally I’d go with “conflicting” because it seems to be describing the facts of the agency’s mandate, or I might possibly consider rewording the sentence and using a word like “incongruent” or “contradictory”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/4 "2023-06-06T17:54:08Z")
Of the two, “conflicting” is probably better, but I would probably use “in conflict”. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/5 "2023-06-06T18:00:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The term “conflicted” applies to a state of mind and hence is typically associated with the feelings of a person or the personification of an organization, while “conflicted” applies to a set of facts. Spelling error makes this difficult to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/6 "2023-06-06T18:01:12Z")
SDMB delivers. I really wish I had access to the SDMB hive mind in high school (the internet did not exist when I was in high school). Thanks all! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/7 "2023-06-06T18:01:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Of the two, “conflicting” is probably better, but I would probably use “in conflict”. This seems like the most clear usage. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/8 "2023-06-06T18:02:17Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > SDMB hive mind in high school Thanks to AI, it soon will be! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/9 "2023-06-06T18:06:06Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > The term “conflicted” applies to a state of mind and hence is typically associated with the feelings of a person or the personification of an organization, while “conflicted” applies to a set of facts. > > Spelling error makes this difficult to understand. Thanks for the note – I must be getting senile! I just barely had time to fix the stupid mistake! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/10 "2023-06-06T18:24:08Z")
Yeah, I would also rewrite. “If they seem to conflict, that’s because they do.” ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/11 "2023-06-06T18:28:37Z")
I was going to make this exact suggestion. Talk about hive minds! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/12 "2023-06-06T19:56:01Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Talk about hive minds! We’re all conflicted about whether to express a conflicting opinion. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-conflicting-vs-conflicted/985115/13 "2023-06-06T19:56:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > but I would probably use “in conflict”. That is the solution, conflict becomes a noun. Using a verb there is confusing in that sentence.