HOSTILITIES Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

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.

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Recent Examples of hostilities Brent’s price zigzagged between $72 and $102 last month as hopes rose and fell that the United States and Iran could reach an agreement to end hostilities and the threat to oil tankers in the strait. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 The administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argued the war was over with a ceasefire and that hostilities then resumed. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Another could be renewed hostilities around the Persian Gulf. — Sj Guest Editorial, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026 The blowout of the crack spread came from hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz, combined with those between Russia and Ukraine. — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026 Their agreement puts an end to legal hostilities between the teams who are both set to leave AAC, the Mavs for the Valley View Mall and the Stars for the Shops at Willow Bend, after their lease ends. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026 Though the formal truce expired in October 2022, large-scale hostilities remained comparatively limited for years. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026 But even if hostilities in the region de-escalate, a persistent risk to traffic through the strait will likely remain, with passage either outright controlled by Iran or, at the very least, subject to Iranian disruption at any time. — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostilities

Noun

Alongside analysts and external observers warning that Russia’s full-scale invasion could soon enter a more dangerous phase, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate the war.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Iran is expanding its defense capabilities, an Iranian army commander said Wednesday, after much of the country’s equipment was degraded by US-Israeli strikes in the early days of the war.

— Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of war

Noun

Meanwhile, outside the five districts that Democrats hope to switch, there are safely Democratic districts where progressive candidates are jousting with mainstream rivals, a subset of the national party’s ideological conflict.

— Dan Walters, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Add to this the conflict in the Middle East driving up gas prices, and the macroeconomic backdrop to back-to-school shopping is hardly optimal.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of conflict

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hostiles

hostilities

hostility

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“Hostilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostilities. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hostilities

noun

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