HOT WAR Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

hot war

noun

as in hostilities

a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups fortunately, the cool relationship between the two nations never escalated into a hot war

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of hot war The same economy that has spent only two of the past 200 months in contraction is now staring down a hot war in the Persian Gulf, a fracturing trade system, and a Chinese president warning of moral as well as geopolitical collapse. —

Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026 Iran for 47 years now has been at war — with the United States, with Iraq, economic war and now hot war. —

Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026 The Iranians seem aware of the growing possibility of a hot war with the U.S. and are frantically working to prepare themselves. —

Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 18 Feb. 2026 There are hot wars in Ukraine and Gaza, cold wars on the Korean peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait, and budding wars in Iran and parts of Africa. —

Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hot war

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hot war

hostilities

Noun

Strikes in the region have continued in recent days despite the White House's assertion to lawmakers that hostilities have ended.

— Carlie Procell, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The two sides had agreed last month to a ceasefire, but hostilities had continued.

— Reuters, NBC news, 4 June 2026