hostilities

noun

plural of hostility
as in war
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups Both sides agreed to cease all hostilities.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hostilities But that prompted Iran to attack vessels trying to bypass its own corridor, reigniting hostilities and leading to the current standoff. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026 But Trump’s decision to resume hostilities in February passed none of the Powell Doctrine’s tests. — Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026 The snapshot of firms’ output, which includes measures like new orders, buying, and hiring, indicated that, as hostilities eased at the start of the month, firms were fast to recover. — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Given the extent of the disruption to oil exports from the Middle East since the start of hostilities between Washington and Tehran, most of the hikes announced by OPEC+ since March have had a negligible impact on the physical crude market. — Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Multiple countries are entangled in Sudan’s conflict, and other foreigners, including Russians and Ukrainians, have taken part in hostilities. — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 The death of 18 American service members during the conflict has also prompted strong reactions, with lawmakers demanding an immediate end to the hostilities. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 31 July 2026 Pakistan has played a key mediating role between Washington and Tehran since the start of the recent hostilities, hosting peace negotiations in Islamabad and helping to broker a temporary ceasefire. — Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026 Since the outbreak of hostilities in 2023, over 14 million people have been displaced and nearly 34 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian support, accounting for 10% of global needs, according to the International Rescue Committee. — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostilities
  1. war
  2. conflict
Noun
  • Both areas saw heavy fighting in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The Saudi Arabian government has been dealing with the economic fallout from the war between the US and Iran, which launched late in February, and the subsequent effects on the oil markets that are so lucrative to the Saudi government.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • The annual Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic will kick off sooner than usual to accommodate booking conflicts with Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The film could use a few more such colorful secondary strands adjoining the main conflict, though one subplot involving a maybe-romance between two jaded journalists assigned to the summit is oddly framed and abruptly dropped.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of conflict

Browse Nearby Words

hostiles
hostilities
hostility
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Cite this Entry

“Hostilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostilities. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hostilities

Nglish: Translation of hostilities for Spanish Speakers

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