warfare

warfare — noun

1. the use of organized military force between opposing countries or groups, includ

1.nounB2
Definition

the use of organized military force between opposing countries or groups, including the strategies, weapons, and types of fighting that are employed

Example

Modern warfare now depends heavily on satellite technology and precision-guided missiles.

collocation: modern warfare

The militia group has conducted guerrilla warfare in the mountainous regions for years.

collocation: guerrilla warfare

Common collocations
  • guerrilla warfare
  • cyber warfare
  • modern warfare
  • urban warfare
  • conventional warfare
  • chemical warfare
  • jungle warfare
  • nuclear warfare
Synonyms
  • combat

    focuses on direct fighting between individuals or units, more concrete than the broader term warfare

  • hostilities

    formal term for acts of war; often used in legal or diplomatic contexts

  • fighting

    more general and less technical; can refer to any physical conflict

Antonyms
  • peace

    the absence of armed conflict or hostility

Usage Note

Unlike the countable noun 'war' (which refers to a specific armed conflict), 'warfare' is uncountable and focuses on the methods, strategies, and type of fighting. You can say 'modern warfare' but not 'a modern warfare.' Use 'a war' for a particular instance: 'a long and bloody war.'

Common Mistakes

The warfare lasted for five years.
The war lasted for five years.
'Warfare' describes the methods and activity of fighting, not a specific conflict with a beginning and end.
They fought in a guerrilla warfare.
They fought using guerrilla warfare.
'Warfare' is uncountable and does not take the indefinite article 'a.'

2. a situation involving intense competition or hostile action between non-military

2.nounB2
Definition

a situation involving intense competition or hostile action between non-military groups, such as political parties, companies, or social classes

Example

The price warfare between the two airlines has made flights much more affordable.

collocation: price warfare

Valentina believes that office politics often turns into a form of psychological warfare.

collocation: psychological warfare

Common collocations
  • class warfare
  • price warfare
  • turf warfare
  • gang warfare
  • corporate warfare
  • political warfare
  • psychological warfare
Synonyms
  • conflict

    broader term encompassing any serious disagreement or opposition, not necessarily aggressive

  • rivalry

    competition between parties, less intense and destructive than warfare

  • struggle

    a sustained effort to resist or overcome opposition, often with an element of difficulty

Antonyms
  • cooperation

    working together toward a shared goal rather than competing

Usage Note

This sense often appears in compound nouns formed as [noun] + warfare (e.g. class warfare, turf warfare, price warfare). The preceding noun identifies the domain or nature of the struggle. It is uncountable, so avoid 'a warfare' or 'warfares.'

Common Mistakes

There is a warfare between the two departments.
The two departments are engaged in warfare.
'Warfare' is uncountable and should not follow 'a.'
The companies are doing warfare.
The companies are waging price warfare.
'Warfare' typically requires a preceding noun specifying the type, and the verb 'wage' or 'engage in.'

Word family

  • war
    nounB1
  • warrior
    nounB2
  • warlike
    adjectiveC1
  • postwar
    adjectiveB2
  • prewar
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Warfare' differs from 'war' in that it is uncountable and focuses on the methods, strategies, and character of fighting rather than a specific instance. 'War' is countable ('a war', 'two wars') and refers to a defined conflict. 'Combat' is narrower, describing direct physical engagement between opposing forces, while 'warfare' includes broader dimensions such as logistics, technology, and tactics. 'Fighting' is the most general term and can apply to any scale of physical conflict, from a fistfight to a battlefield. 'Hostilities' is a formal, diplomatic term for acts of war, often used to describe the period when active fighting occurs ('the cessation of hostilities'). For example: 'The country lost the war' (a specific conflict), but 'Modern warfare relies on drones' (the general method).

war ↗combat ↗fighting ↗hostilities

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • wage warfare
  • engage in warfare

Prepositions

Etymology

Old North FrenchOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Warfare' combines the noun 'war' (from Old North French 'werre', meaning armed conflict) with 'fare' (from Old English 'faran', meaning 'to go, to travel'). The 'fare' component originally suggested a journey or way of life, so 'warfare' literally conveyed the idea of 'going on a military expedition' or 'the business of waging war.' The word first appeared in English around the 15th century and has since expanded from strictly military contexts to include competitive struggles in other domains.