as in wars
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country
a region that has had many civil wars
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Recent Examples of civil wars
In civil wars, intragroup conflict may be worse for mental health than out-group conflict.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
So, the civil wars of the 1640s.
—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
But such a hope was belied by the developments after the cold war ended as civil wars ensued in many parts of the world.
—
Debidatta A. Mahapatra,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
Each of these civil wars ended in peace agreements that paved the way for peaceful elections, yet insecurity and economic woes continue to plague the three nations.
—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Then, back-to-back civil wars in the 1990s and 2000s cratered the economy.
—
Emmet Livingstone,
NPR,
20 Sep. 2025
This week marks a decade since Merkel’s historic decision to open her country’s borders to the large numbers of migrants who were then arriving in Europe in search of refuge from civil wars or dire economic hardship.
—
Sebastian Shukla,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
In the 20th century, China was devastated by civil wars, Japanese occupation, and then very bad policies which led to low productivity and widespread famine.
—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
So, the civil wars of the 1640s.
—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
But such a hope was belied by the developments after the cold war ended as civil wars ensued in many parts of the world.
—
Debidatta A. Mahapatra,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
Each of these civil wars ended in peace agreements that paved the way for peaceful elections, yet insecurity and economic woes continue to plague the three nations.
—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Then, back-to-back civil wars in the 1990s and 2000s cratered the economy.
—
Emmet Livingstone,
NPR,
20 Sep. 2025
This week marks a decade since Merkel’s historic decision to open her country’s borders to the large numbers of migrants who were then arriving in Europe in search of refuge from civil wars or dire economic hardship.
—
Sebastian Shukla,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
In the 20th century, China was devastated by civil wars, Japanese occupation, and then very bad policies which led to low productivity and widespread famine.
—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil wars
Noun
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Israel for years avoided officially recognizing the violence as genocide out fear of angering Turkey, but that relationship has soured over the past two decades, especially as the most recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have dragged on.
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Pandemic bottlenecks, wars, climate shocks and geopolitical tension exposed the fragility of global supply chains.
Noun
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The recent military action tested an initial agreement that was supposed to halt hostilities during 60 days of negotiations.
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However, on Sunday, Washington and Tehran agreed to pause hostilities, resume commercial vessel traffic through the strategically important waterway and resume technical talks towards a peace deal.
Noun
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Being able to work through conflicts can often result in an even stronger bond.
-
China has helped cushion the global oil shock, seen its clean energy tech exports surge and framed the war in Iran as another example in which Chinese leadership could supersede the US in ending global conflicts.
Cite this Entry
“Civil wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20wars. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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