civil wars

noun

plural of civil war
as in wars
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country a region that has had many civil wars

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of civil wars So, the civil wars of the 1640s. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026 In civil wars, intragroup conflict may be worse for mental health than out-group conflict. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 But such a hope was belied by the developments after the cold war ended as civil wars ensued in many parts of the world. — Debidatta A. Mahapatra, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026 Then, back-to-back civil wars in the 1990s and 2000s cratered the economy. — Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025 Each of these civil wars ended in peace agreements that paved the way for peaceful elections, yet insecurity and economic woes continue to plague the three nations. — Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025 This week marks a decade since Merkel’s historic decision to open her country’s borders to the large numbers of migrants who were then arriving in Europe in search of refuge from civil wars or dire economic hardship. — Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 In the 20th century, China was devastated by civil wars, Japanese occupation, and then very bad policies which led to low productivity and widespread famine. — Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil wars
  1. wars
  2. hostilities
  3. conflicts
Noun
  • Ryan argues in a June report by the Lowy Institute that future wars will reward militaries able to recognize battlefield change, absorb lessons and adapt faster than their opponents.
    — David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • The Iran and Gaza wars have thrown that absence and European strategic impotence into sharp relief.
    — Galip Dalay, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of wars
Noun
  • Breaches are common and have been used strategically to set a standard, tit-for-tat style, of acceptable lower-level hostilities during the sensitive period.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
  • The recent military action tested an initial agreement that was supposed to halt hostilities during 60 days of negotiations.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Definition of hostilities
Noun
  • Small commercial and military drones have become increasingly common in recent conflicts, performing reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision attack missions.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
  • Painful conflicts with family over Israel are common The survey finds that rifts are springing up within families and communities over Israel, even among religiously unaffiliated Jews.
    — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of conflicts

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civil war
civil wars
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Cite this Entry

“Civil wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20wars. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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