warfare
7 synonyms and 1 antonym for warfare, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces.
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.
armed conflict
Antonyms
How to use warfare
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
guerrilla warfare
chemical warfare
psychological warfare
act of warfare
Etymology
From war plus fare (in the old sense of "going, journeying") — literally "the business of waging war."
Full origin of warfare →Frequently asked questions
What does “warfare” mean?
The word “warfare” means the act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces. In plain terms, fighting a war, or a particular kind of fighting, such as chemical warfare or trench warfare.
How do you pronounce “warfare”?
“Warfare” is pronounced WAW-feh-uh (/ˈwɔɹfɛɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “warfare” in a sentence?
Here is “warfare” used in a sentence: “Modern warfare relies heavily on technology and intelligence.”
What part of speech is “warfare”?
“Warfare” is a noun.
Is “warfare” a common word?
“Warfare” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “warfare” have?
“Warfare” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces.
What is the difference between war and warfare?
A war is a specific armed conflict between opposing forces, usually with a recognizable beginning and end, while warfare refers to the activity or method of fighting itself. You declare a war, but you engage in warfare, and warfare readily combines with modifiers that describe a style of fighting, as in "guerrilla warfare."
Is warfare countable or uncountable?
Warfare is an uncountable noun, so it has no plural form and does not take "a" or "an." Standard usage is "modern warfare" or "chemical warfare," never "a warfare" or "warfares."
What are common collocations with warfare?
Warfare typically follows a modifier naming the method or arena of conflict: chemical warfare, guerrilla warfare, psychological warfare, trench warfare, and cyber warfare are all frequent. The verb most often paired with it is "wage," as in "to wage warfare."
