war
10 synonyms and 1 antonyms for war, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Large-scale armed conflict between countries, groups, or factions.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use war
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Old Northern French werre ("guerre" in modern French), ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "confusion" or "strife" — war gradually replaced older English words for armed conflict during the Middle Ages.
Full origin of war →Frequently asked questions
What does “war” mean?
The word “war” means large-scale armed conflict between countries, groups, or factions. In plain terms, large-scale armed conflict, or by extension, any long, hard-fought struggle against something.
How do you pronounce “war”?
“War” is pronounced waw (/wɔɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “war” in a sentence?
Here is “war” used in a sentence: “The two nations had been at war for nearly a decade.”
What is another word for “war”?
Words with a similar meaning to “war” include fight, go to war, wage war and warray.
What is the opposite of “war”?
The opposite of “war” — its antonyms — is peace.
What part of speech is “war”?
Depending on how it is used, “war” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “war” come from?
The word “war” comes from French. From Old Northern French werre ("guerre" in modern French), ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "confusion" or "strife" — war gradually replaced older English words for armed conflict during the Middle Ages.
Is “war” a common word?
“War” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
What is the difference between war and battle?
A war is a long, large-scale armed conflict that can last months or years and may cover many separate clashes. A battle is a single fight within a war, limited in time and place. In other words, a war is made up of many battles, campaigns, and events between the sides involved.
What is the difference between war and conflict?
'Conflict' is the broader word, covering any serious disagreement or clash, from arguments to armed struggle. 'War' refers specifically to large-scale, organised, armed fighting between countries or groups. Every war is a conflict, but many conflicts — political, legal, or personal — never involve weapons or become wars at all.
What are the main types of war?
Wars are often grouped by who fights and how. A civil war is fought between groups inside one country, while an international war involves separate nations, and a world war draws in many countries at once. Other terms describe methods or aims, such as guerrilla warfare and a 'cold war,' where rivals compete without direct fighting.
What is the opposite of war?
Peace is the opposite of war — a state in which countries or groups live without armed conflict. Related ideas include a truce or ceasefire, which pause the fighting, and an armistice or treaty, which can formally end it. Where war means organised violence, peace means the absence of it.