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
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 wars
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
His 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the ravages of the world wars.
—Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2026
His 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the ravages of the world wars.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!
—Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
The most recent victim was Cecilia García Ramblas, who became a searcher in 2021 when her brother went missing in the family’s home state of Guanajato, where gang wars have transformed the state into Mexico’s murder capital.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The current conflict is sometimes referred to as the Third Gulf War, but is distinctive from the earlier two wars in important respects, including so far relying on executive authority alone.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Today, mindful of the most recent wars, mindful of all the atrocities com-mitted, this happy fantasy has lost its charm, death has lost its innocence, pain its magnitude, irreversible.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Like, why are there, and why have there been, so many wars in so many places?
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
To project power and deterrence, the regime also launched a nuclear program and influenced regional wars with a network of proxy forces in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
His 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the ravages of the world wars.
—Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2026
His 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the ravages of the world wars.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!
—Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
The most recent victim was Cecilia García Ramblas, who became a searcher in 2021 when her brother went missing in the family’s home state of Guanajato, where gang wars have transformed the state into Mexico’s murder capital.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The current conflict is sometimes referred to as the Third Gulf War, but is distinctive from the earlier two wars in important respects, including so far relying on executive authority alone.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Today, mindful of the most recent wars, mindful of all the atrocities com-mitted, this happy fantasy has lost its charm, death has lost its innocence, pain its magnitude, irreversible.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Like, why are there, and why have there been, so many wars in so many places?
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wars
Noun
-
Thanks to the religious hostilities that burst open in the late sixteenth century, the prevailing hue is blood.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The lull follows a ceasefire agreement reached Tuesday, when Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week pause in hostilities in an effort to end the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran, which began February 28.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But rather that sometimes, particularly with adult-child conflicts, the adult has to be very intentional about trying their best and assuming the best of the child.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Spring is in the air, international conflicts are at a fever pitch and the World Cup matches in Atlanta are less than three months away.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Timoja had been misinformed that the ruler of Goa, Yusuf Adil Shah, had died, leaving behind a young and inexperienced successor, and that internal rivalries among Deccan rulers had further weakened Goa.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But there were also rivalries — and who got to control a bigger share of the work was hotly contested.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Barred from his high school basketball team due to his temper, a hot-head, street-baller battles demons from his past and present to earn a spot on a summer league team and his last shot at a college basketball scholarship.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Beth, who is voiced by Sarah Chalke, asks dad Rick (Ian Cardoni) in the footage as the family battles a beast comprised of couch cushions.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Still, long-term questions persist, and Apple has warned that tariffs, trade restrictions and geopolitical frictions could raise costs, disrupt supply and force restructuring of operations.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
-
All these films directed by Arab women are about the unique schisms and frictions of the Arab world, and all of them allow Bakri to communicate the process of choice — a privilege that so many people, especially Palestinians, usually aren’t afforded but that Bakri’s characters insist upon.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meta suggested that Kaley’s mental-health struggles were attributable not to social-media addiction but, rather, to her mother’s emotional and physical abuse and neglect, and that Kaley’s social-media use was not the source of her troubles but a way to cope with them.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The mayor last December went on to lose a historic budget vote, in what one ally declared was a return of the 1980s Council Wars – a reference to the struggles of former Mayor Harold Washington.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the Democratic Party fights to regain control of Congress, organizations affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence have dominated the airwaves, sometimes leaving candidates on the sidelines of their own campaigns.—
Leah Askarinam,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Set in the last year of World War II on the remote North Sea island of Amrum, the story is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck), whose zealot mother (Laura Tonke) is raising him as a good Nazi while his father fights in the war.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
-
In every case, physical science, which is based on the evidence reported by these limited and limiting senses, eventually leaves us stranded with the conviction that sickness, accidents, and disasters – discords of every description, regardless of the apparent cause – are real and inevitable.—
Lisa Rennie Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wars. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
