WORLD WAR Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

world war

noun

Definition of world war

as in cold war

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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 world war What the fear-itself speech heralded, then, was a fresh formulation of the American project rather than its demise, reimagining it for the challenges of economic upheaval and, eventually, world war. — New York Times, 9 June 2026 Moscow is fighting a world war, even if Western countries won’t acknowledge it. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026 His tenure is not only noted for helping the school navigate the Great Depression and two world wars but for doubling its enrollment from 447 to 929 and helping expand the campus by with buildings like Pfeiffer Hall and Merner Field House. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026 The effort aims to turn a base that served in two world wars into a West Coast cargo hub. — James Taylor, CBS News, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for world war

Recent Examples of Synonyms for world war

Noun

The Saudis, then mired in a regional cold war with Iran, viewed the Houthis as an Iranian proxy force that threatened the kingdom’s borders.

— Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
During Wallace and Shakur’s own rift, Knight and Combs’ own cold war simmered and ran even hotter than many initially believed.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of cold war

Noun

The advance ended a truce that had been in place since 2022 and had calmed a devastating civil war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
That ultimately became Exit Party, a speculative story about a dystopian not-so-distant future in which the government of the United States has collapsed and Los Angeles has become something of a refugee camp from the latent civil war.

— Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of civil war

Noun

In this scenario, which may already be coming to fruition, the meager hope is that the conflict transforms into simply a more limited war.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
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

Definition of limited war

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world souls

world war

world wars

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“World war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/world%20war. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of world war

noun

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