as in cold war
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Recent Examples of limited war
In contrast, China has made targeted investments intended to give it an advantage in a quick, limited war, while keeping its overall defense spending relatively modest: Beijing’s defense spending has risen from five percent of U.S. levels in 1995 to 32 percent in 2017.
—
Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2025
Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in a limited war since last October, but Israeli forces have significantly escalated the scope of their attacks since the beginning of September in an attempt to force Hezbollah to stop its attacks on northern Israel.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Sep. 2024
Western policymakers in Washington also believe that Iran is relatively satisfied with the more limited war’s outcome so far: The Hamas attacks seriously undermined diplomacy meant to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2023
But the fight to capture it risks putting Israel on a collision course with the Biden administration, which has called on Israel to minimize civilian casualties and ease humanitarian deprivation in Gaza, and to hew to a more limited war aim of expelling Hamas from power.
—Gordon Lubold, WSJ, 7 Dec. 2023
Many scholars panned the book, believing its 34-year-old author had overestimated the nation’s ability to keep limited war limited.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
And as always, there’s no guarantee that a limited war would stay limited.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2025
Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in a limited war since last October, but Israeli forces have significantly escalated the scope of their attacks since the beginning of September in an attempt to force Hezbollah to stop its attacks on northern Israel.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Sep. 2024
Western policymakers in Washington also believe that Iran is relatively satisfied with the more limited war’s outcome so far: The Hamas attacks seriously undermined diplomacy meant to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2023
But the fight to capture it risks putting Israel on a collision course with the Biden administration, which has called on Israel to minimize civilian casualties and ease humanitarian deprivation in Gaza, and to hew to a more limited war aim of expelling Hamas from power.
—Gordon Lubold, WSJ, 7 Dec. 2023
Many scholars panned the book, believing its 34-year-old author had overestimated the nation’s ability to keep limited war limited.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
And as always, there’s no guarantee that a limited war would stay limited.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for limited war
Noun
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The theory posited that wars in the post-cold war era would be fought along religious divides, bringing the West and the Islamic states such as Iran to clash.—
Debidatta A. Mahapatra,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
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Swedish pop star Zara Larsson is apparently locked in a cold war with one user who keeps swapping out the photo on her page.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fears that attacks on Iran could trigger a more widespread world war were unfounded.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
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Our local representatives continue to support the head of their party as the world rushes toward another world war.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The refugee crisis that followed—over 1 million Iraqis ultimately fled into Syria—contributed directly to the Syrian civil war that convulsed European politics throughout the 2010s.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
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Syria endured more than a decade of mass violence, displacement and repression during a devastating civil war.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This may not be surprising to some, but the holy war of words playing out in Mayor Mamdani’s new backyard is partly coming from mothers who not long ago held squarely centrist or even liberal beliefs.—
Hannah Seligson,
Vanity Fair,
9 Jan. 2026
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The 76ers’ owner, Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE), had been in a holy war with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and Comcast over building a standalone NBA arena in Center City.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Limited war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limited%20war. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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