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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conflicts
a lack of agreement or harmony
the siblings always seemed to be at war with one another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
only the latest round in the never-ending class war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wars
CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The Investment Case For Sports Ownership Major sports leagues in North America have survived pandemics, labor disputes, wars, and economic crises.
—Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Screens, the rise of authoritarianism, persistent wars, AI everything, and climate anxiety—all problems that only seem to get worse by the week.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
Netflix is winning the streaming wars.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026
Digestible moments → Florida's bagel wars heat up as iconic brands battle for snowbirds.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
She's also covered the cartel wars along the TX-MX border, Congress in Mexico City, 3 presidential races, and 6 hurricanes.
—Karen Brooks Harper, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
No One Knows What to Call Venezuela The wars since 1945 have not actually been so explicitly about resources, yet the President can't seem to stop talking about oil and energy.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
These wars, along with the Bush tax cuts, started the budget deficit spiral that continues to this day.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Noun
Even as the White House keeps military options on the table for Greenland, the president highlighted his efforts to end wars overseas.
—CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The Investment Case For Sports Ownership Major sports leagues in North America have survived pandemics, labor disputes, wars, and economic crises.
—Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Screens, the rise of authoritarianism, persistent wars, AI everything, and climate anxiety—all problems that only seem to get worse by the week.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
Netflix is winning the streaming wars.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026
Digestible moments → Florida's bagel wars heat up as iconic brands battle for snowbirds.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
She's also covered the cartel wars along the TX-MX border, Congress in Mexico City, 3 presidential races, and 6 hurricanes.
—Karen Brooks Harper, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
No One Knows What to Call Venezuela The wars since 1945 have not actually been so explicitly about resources, yet the President can't seem to stop talking about oil and energy.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
These wars, along with the Bush tax cuts, started the budget deficit spiral that continues to this day.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wars
Noun
-
Those presidents asked for permission to conduct hostilities because the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, unambiguously vests the war power in Congress.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Almost three years since the start of the Sudanese civil war, there are few signs of the hostilities ending soon, with experts fearing the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis could yet worsen.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The board has been envisioned as a technocratic body designed to resolve conflicts around the world, branching out from its original conception as a body designed to solve the war in Gaza.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The toolkit avoids direct discussion of the cultural conflicts that have erupted in the MAGA era between red states that vote heavily Republican and blue states that favor Democrats.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets will meet again tonight in a matchup that remains one of the NBA's most heated rivalries, even as both franchises enter a rebuilding phase.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Instead, the book spends over 300 pages meticulously detailing abusers, lovers, film schedules, fashion fittings, trips, rivalries and acting lessons.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Chris Mara spoke on behalf of Giants ownership Tuesday after John Harbaugh’s introductory press conference, confirming Mara’s rise to a more prominent role and influence in the organization as his brother, co-owner John Mara, battles cancer.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Ukraine’s air defense systems are stretched thin, with last night’s defense costing $93 million in ammunition, as the country battles relentless Russian aerial attacks.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
By April, new tariffs and trade frictions triggered some of the most significant trade actions in decades.—
Joe Ngai,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Trade and diplomatic frictions aside, Japanese companies are positive on business growth, with the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey showing that sentiment among Japanese companies mostly improved in the fourth quarter, especially among small manufacturers.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Teachers’ unions across the state have been in similar struggles with other districts.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The changes come following years of stock price decline, following the Covid-19 pandemic, after delays to major releases and financial struggles.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Eleven finds her way to them, jumping inside the Mind Flayer to destroy Vecna, who’s controlling it from within, while Will fights telepathically from the outside, no longer empathetic or afraid to go toe to toe with his former saboteur.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Ucg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Novo Nordisk’s shift from a market darling to a serious underperformer has set the stage for a transitional 2026 as the Danish drugmaker fights to regain investor confidence in its weight loss business.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wars. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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