Antonyms for war


Grammar : Noun, verb
Spell : wawr
Phonetic Transcription : wɔr


Definition of war

Origin :
  • late Old English (c.1050), wyrre, werre, from Old North French werre "war" (Modern French guerre), from Frankish *werra, from Proto-Germanic *werso (cf. Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, German verwirren "to confuse, perplex"). Cognates suggest the original sense was "to bring into confusion."
  • Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian guerra are from the same source; Romanic peoples turned to Germanic for a word to avoid Latin bellum because its form tended to merge with bello- "beautiful." There was no common Germanic word for "war" at the dawn of historical times. Old English had many poetic words for "war" (wig, guð, heaðo, hild, all common in personal names), but the usual one to translate Latin bellum was gewin "struggle, strife" (related to win).
  • First record of war time is late 14c. Warpath (1775) is originally in reference to North American Indians, as are war-whoop (1761), war-paint (1826), and war-dance (1757). War crime first attested 1906. War chest is attested from 1901; now usually figurative. War games translates German Kriegspiel (see kriegspiel).
  • noun armed conflict
  • verb fight, battle
Example sentences :
  • Halbert privately came to the same conclusion, and decided to war only with words.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • As for the war between the Philistines and the Jews, it never came to an end.
  • Extract from : « Ancient Man » by Hendrik Willem van Loon
  • The following are a few of the passes used by Harriet throughout the war.
  • Extract from : « Harriet, The Moses of Her People » by Sarah H. Bradford
  • I did all that in honor could be done to avert the war, but without avail.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • Division on public questions can no longer be traced by the war maps of 1861.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • The business world reflects the disturbance of war's reaction.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • War is a rough teacher, but it is evidently the only one for the Continent.
  • Extract from : « Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327 » by Various
  • This signifies more than the stilling of guns, easing the sorrow of war.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • In my lifetime—in depression and in war—they have awaited our defeat.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • The management of the war was the main subject under discussion.
  • Extract from : « The Grand Old Man » by Richard B. Cook

Synonyms for war

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019