as in war
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
Both sides agreed to cease all hostilities.
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Recent Examples of hostilities
The recent military action tested an initial agreement that was supposed to halt hostilities during 60 days of negotiations.
—
Xiaoqian Lin,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
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.
—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
29 June 2026
Peace under these conditions is little more than a postponement of hostilities, and the risks of appeasement are always high.
—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
28 June 2026
The two sides agreed to a cease-fire at the end of 2024, in the waning days of the Biden administration, but hostilities simmered.
—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2026
The last three cases of India-Pakistan hostilities—in 2016, 2019, and 2025—involved exponentially greater uses of force than those before them.
—
Michael Kugelman,
Time,
26 June 2026
The jury in that trial was unable to reach a verdict on the charge related to Mann and a mistrial was declared, as one juror refused to continue deliberating amid hostilities among their fellow jurors.
—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2026
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding with an immediate cease fire this week after four months of hostilities.
—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
Xiaoqian Lin,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
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.
—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
29 June 2026
Peace under these conditions is little more than a postponement of hostilities, and the risks of appeasement are always high.
—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
28 June 2026
The two sides agreed to a cease-fire at the end of 2024, in the waning days of the Biden administration, but hostilities simmered.
—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2026
The last three cases of India-Pakistan hostilities—in 2016, 2019, and 2025—involved exponentially greater uses of force than those before them.
—
Michael Kugelman,
Time,
26 June 2026
The jury in that trial was unable to reach a verdict on the charge related to Mann and a mistrial was declared, as one juror refused to continue deliberating amid hostilities among their fellow jurors.
—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2026
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding with an immediate cease fire this week after four months of hostilities.
—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostilities
Noun
-
Between February and August, fallout from the Iran war will have destroyed 800 million barrels of oil demand, JPMorgan estimates.
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Oil tanker traffic through Hormuz before the war might represent the high point for transits for the foreseeable future, said Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets.
Noun
-
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.
-
The characters are all in a continual state of collision, their shifting conflicts inflamed by Coriolanus’ arrogantly uncompromising nature.
Cite this Entry
“Hostilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostilities. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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