a bringing together of ideas, themes, etc., for comparison.
6.
Psychology. a technique used in group therapy, as in encounter groups, in which one is forced to recognize one's shortcomings and their possible consequences.
1630s, "action of bringing two parties face to face," noun of action from confront. International political sense is attested from 1963 and traces to the "Cuban missile crisis" of the previous year. Related: Confrontational (1970).