civil war

NOUN

[/ˈsɪvəl wɔːr/]

a war between citizens of the same country

💡 Concept

Brothers raise opposing flags as a civil war tears their homeland apart.

🎵 Rhyme

Open the door to see more - but they're all from the same civil war

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈsɪvəl wɔːr/

🇬🇧 UK/ˈsɪvəl wɔː(r)/

🌳Etymology

Rootcivil

Origin

Civil derives from Latin civilis, meaning 'of or pertaining to citizens,' which itself comes from civis (citizen). War comes from Germanic sources. Together, the phrase denotes armed conflict between citizens or factions within the same nation.

Breakdown

civil (from Latin civilis, 'of citizens') + war (from Germanic roots, 'armed conflict') = internal armed conflict between citizens of the same state.

🎵Rhyme

warmoredoorfloor

war

door

floor

🔗Collocations

civil war breaks out

prevent civil war

brutal civil war

civil war era

end the civil war

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My history teacher said studying civil wars is like watching a family fight over the TV remote, but with cannons.”

“The country was torn apart by a devastating civil war that lasted for decades.”

“After the civil war ended, the nation struggled to rebuild and reconcile its divided population.”

😄 Fun example

“The museum's civil war exhibit was so realistic that visitors kept looking for the emergency exits.”

📚Related Words

Synonyms

internal conflictdomestic warinternecine warfraternal war

Antonyms

foreign warinternational conflictpeace

revolutionrebellionuprisinginsurgencycoup

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civil war — a war between citizens of the same country

Example Sentences