civil war
Nation fighting itself
A civil war is armed conflict between organized groups within the same country—typically government forces against insurgents, or rival factions competing for control.
The term distinguishes internal conflicts from wars between nations.
The country descended into civil war after the disputed election.
Syria's civil war displaced millions. (Capitalized Civil War usually refers to specific historical conflicts.)
Active armed fighting
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- bloodshedKilling and wounding
- carnageWidespread violent death
- fratricideKilling one's own brother
guerrilla · resistance · clashes · engagement · confrontation · violence · atrocity · casualties
Defiance of established power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- mutinyRevolt against authority
sedition · coup · overthrow · revolutionary · partisan · underground · liberation
Formal organizational fracture
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- polarizationSeparation into opposing extremes
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
- riftCrack or estrangement
partisanship · discord · estrangement · dissent · loyalist · separatist · irreconcilable
Combat engagement area
- infantryGround combat troops
- cavalryMounted military force
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- regimentColonel-led military unit
trenches · fortification · siege · flank · ambush · militia · irregulars
hostilities
Active armed fighting
fratricide · guerrilla · resistance · clashes · engagement · confrontation · violence · atrocity · casualties · prisoner
rebellion
Defiance of established power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
mutiny · sedition · coup · overthrow · revolutionary · partisan · underground · liberation
schism
Formal organizational fracture
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- polarizationSeparation into opposing extremes
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
rift · partisanship · discord · estrangement · dissent · loyalist · separatist · irreconcilable
battlefield
Combat engagement area
regiment · trenches · fortification · siege · flank · ambush · militia · irregulars
Biafra
Short-lived secessionist republic
- conflictclash, fight, battle, dispute, feud
- Caesar's legacyRoman Empire, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Julian calendar, dictatorship
- WarsWWI
- Sri LankaSri Lanka, Ceylon, Colombo, Sinhalese, Tamils
- Ancient RomeRome, Julius Caesar, Caesar, gladiator, gladiators
- History Contentdocumentaries, PBS, reenactments, archival footage, biographies
civil warpeace
Freedom from disturbance
domestic tranquility · social harmony · peacetime · national unity · concord
civil warpeaceful revolution
Nonviolent political transformation
democratic transition · negotiated settlement · political compromise · peaceful protest · reconciliation
war, civil, warrior, warfare, civic, wars, civilian, civilized, warring