Synonyms of war

war 1 of 2

noun

ˈwȯr 

1

as in hostilities

a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups

the war was the result of ethnic tensions that had been building in the region for decades

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hostilities
• conflict
• conflagration
• skirmish
• hot war
• fighting
• warfare
• battle
• civil war
• world war
• cold war
• police action
• holy war
• combat
• limited war
• engagement
• action

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peace
• disarmament
• demobilization
• demilitarization
• pacification
• truce
• tranquility
• calm
• peacefulness
• ceasefire

2

as in conflict

a lack of agreement or harmony

the siblings always seemed to be at war with one another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• conflict
• strife
• warfare
• discord
• friction
• schism
• discordance
• dissent
• discordancy
• division
• clash
• dispute
• infighting
• variance
• dissonance
• altercation
• disharmony
• disunity
• hostility
• disunion
• dissension
• fight
• dissidence
• argument
• debate
• contention
• divide
• disagreement
• inharmony
• collision
• quarrel
• competition
• disaccord
• fissure
• brawl
• spat
• squabble
• bicker
• falling-out
• tiff
• enmity
• run-in
• row
• animosity
• cold war
• inconsistency
• antagonism
• incongruity
• incompatibility
• wrangle
• jar
• scrap
• incongruence
• rancor
• ill will
• antipathy
• mix-up
• inconsonance
• hassle
• inharmoniousness
• miff
• inconsistence
• incongruousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peace
• agreement
• harmony
• cooperation
• accord
• concordance
• concord
• concurrence

3

as in battle

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another

only the latest round in the never-ending class war

Synonyms & Similar Words

• battle
• rivalry
• warfare
• struggle
• conflict
• competition
• duel
• confrontation
• contention
• contest
• strife
• match
• combat
• clash
• dogfight
• ball game
• showdown
• tug-of-war
• sweepstakes
• face-off
• debate
• dispute
• grapple
• friction
• quarrel
• collision
• discord
• disputation
• argument
• horse race
• controversy
• nail-biter
• disagreement
• dissension
• row
• wrangle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peace
• harmony
• concord

war

2 of 2

verb

as in to fight

Related Words

• fight
• battle
• contend
• resist
• oppose
• withstand
• prevent
• preserve
• save
• conserve
• avert
• protect
• picket
• defend
• fence
• wall
• ward
• safeguard
• guard
• buffer
• fend
• shield
• secure
• keep
• screen
• palisade
• bulwark
• forfend
• cover

Dissimilar Words

• assault
• attack
• assail
• overrun
• beset
• cave
• submit
• storm
• yield
• bombard
• besiege
• capitulate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of war

Noun

Energy importers across Africa have been hard hit by the Iran war and the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of Africa’s fuel passed before the conflict. — Jenny Vaughan, semafor.com, 1 July 2026

Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining its military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount assaults along the front. — ABC News, 1 July 2026

Verb

While the warring sides do not regularly release casualty figures, the Uppsala researchers use a variety of open sources, including social media to come up with the tallies. — Kate Bartlett, NPR, 9 June 2026

Silicon Valley’s warring factions are pouring money into congressional primaries. — Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 23 May 2026

Phrases Containing war

• civil war
• hot war
• war (against)
• war hawk
• war paint