wars
Battles between nations
Wars is the plural of war—armed conflicts between nations, states, or organized groups.
The term covers everything from ancient battles to modern geopolitical struggles: The wars of the twentieth century reshaped global borders.
It also extends to sustained campaigns against problems: wars on poverty and crime. (Capitalized Wars appears in titles like Star Wars.)
Military personnel who fight
- troopsMilitary personnel collectively
- armyOrganized land-based military
- navyMaritime military force
- airforceAerial military branch
marines · infantry · cavalry · artillery · tanks · missiles · weapons · ammunition
Armed hostile engagement
- skirmishBrief, limited combat
- siegeEncirclement forcing surrender
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- assaultViolent offensive act
engagement · frontline · trenches · fortification · flank · barrage · offensive · counterattack
Those killed or wounded
- refugeesPeople seeking safety elsewhere
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- destructionAct of completely ruining
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
reconstruction · reparations · trauma · famine · rationing · orphans · widows · memorials
Antagonistic disposition toward others
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
- tensionStretched or strained state
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
feud · rivalry · discord · animosity · enmity · friction · contention · confrontation
Aggressive advocacy campaigns
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- invasionForcible entry into territory
empire · annexation · occupation · liberation · independence · armistice · treaty · reparations
Planned approach to goals
- maneuverDeliberate tactical movement
- flankingAt the sides of
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
- guerrillaIrregular armed fighter
blitzkrieg · reconnaissance · sabotage · logistics · intelligence · diversion · camouflage · blockade
soldiers
Military personnel who fight
airforce · marines · infantry · cavalry · artillery · tanks · missiles · weapons · ammunition · armament
combat
Armed hostile engagement
- skirmishBrief, limited combat
- siegeEncirclement forcing surrender
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
assault · engagement · frontline · trenches · fortification · flank · barrage · offensive · counterattack · resistance
casualties
Those killed or wounded
- refugeesPeople seeking safety elsewhere
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- destructionAct of completely ruining
devastation · reconstruction · reparations · trauma · famine · rationing · orphans · widows · memorials · veterans
hostility
Antagonistic disposition toward others
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
- tensionStretched or strained state
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
antagonism · feud · rivalry · discord · animosity · enmity · friction · contention · confrontation · struggle
crusades
Aggressive advocacy campaigns
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
invasion · empire · annexation · occupation · liberation · independence · armistice · treaty · reparations · genocide
strategy
Planned approach to goals
- maneuverDeliberate tactical movement
- flankingAt the sides of
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
guerrilla · blitzkrieg · reconnaissance · sabotage · logistics · intelligence · diversion · camouflage · blockade · attrition
coalition
Temporary alliance for action
- pactFormal agreement between parties
- ententeInformal international understanding
- axisRotation reference line
federation · league · bloc · NATO · allies · treaty · accord · neutrality · ceasefire · truce
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, era
- social studiescivics, social studies, maps, economics, community
- conflictclash, fight, battle, dispute, feud
- legendsKing Arthur, Robin Hood, Hercules, Merlin, Excalibur
- Medieval Englandking, kings, castle, castles, knight
- ancient history textbooksancient Rome, ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persian Empire
warspeacetime
Absence of armed conflict
tranquility · stability · prosperity · calm · serenity
- at warIn armed conflict
- tug of warTeams pull rope opposite ways
- war zoneArea of active conflict
- nuclear warArmed conflict using fission weapons
- go to warStart military action
- war cryCombatants' rallying shout