warfare

noun

ˈwȯr-ˌfer How to pronounce warfare (audio)
Definition of warfarenext
1
as in war
a lack of agreement or harmony that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of warfare When used in warfare, AIs contribute to terrible mistakes that kill people or potentially start wars. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026 With season 4 premiering Sunday, November 1, the cast offered hints of the social warfare to come. — Paul Chi, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2026 Experts say Kim's troops sent to Russia to support its war against Ukraine likely gained experience in drone warfare from Russian forces and their own battlefield experiences. — Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026 The dominance of drone warfare in this conflict makes aboveground travel extremely dangerous, and services and supplies have deteriorated sharply since May. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for warfare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warfare
  1. war
  2. rivalry
  3. strife
  4. battle
  5. discord
  6. struggle
  7. conflict
  8. competition
Noun
  • This is the day of maximal public attention to television and online news, on par with wars and natural disasters and the World Cup finals.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Why has Trump provided Putin economic lifelines to continue his war against Ukraine?
    — Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • The Chiefs-Jets all-time series is certainly not considered one of the great NFL rivalries, but the teams have a long history.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Like Cassavetes, Jaglom tended to be almost single-mindedly focused on interpersonal relationships — romantic ones, but also friendships and rivalries between men and between women.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of rivalry
Noun
  • Concerns about security and safety due to political strife have caused many Americans to think about second residency.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2026
  • But in the last year and half, the national economic strife has plagued his store.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of strife
Noun
  • The letter was shared as Haitian police and foreign forces continue to battle gangs, with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé announcing on X late Friday that a gang leader was killed, without identifying him.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The attention surfaced new accusations of misconduct against sitting members and thrust a spotlight onto others that were part of ongoing legal battles.
    — Anna Liss-Roy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • A throw toward the center and then, at times, a lateral backwards to create discord among the secondaries and then race downfield.
    — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • To use isolated instances of interpersonal discord as a pretext to strip 18 distinct counties of their democratic home rule is a severe structural overreaction.
    — Eric Wargotz, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of discord
Noun
  • Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is going to start calling plays from the booth instead of the sideline amid his unit’s tremendous struggles.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Alternative data creates opportunities to assess people whom traditional scoring struggles to understand, but those opportunities come with responsibility.
    — Artem Lalaiants, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has also warned that Iran would retaliate if Washington reignited the conflict.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Its cost was recovered after just one month of conflict, according to people familiar with the matter.
    — Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of conflict
Noun
  • In the team competition, Granada Hills edged Palisades by one stroke, 416-417, to end the Dolphins’ five-year reign, which was one short of the City record set by Granada Hills from 2001-06 and equaled by the Highlanders from 2011-16.
    — Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The only worthy competition, so far, is Adults, a zanier, higher-energy show in the tradition of Broad City and Happy Endings—and one that gained some depth in this year’s great second season.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of competition

Browse Nearby Words

wares
warfare
warfares
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warfare. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on warfare

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about warfare

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All