dirty war

noun

A conflict (particularly one in South America) between a dictatorship against leftist revolutionaries or activists, typically characterized by extrajudicial repression like kidnapping, torture and enforced disappearance.

OriginSpanish guerra sucia →
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Meanings

dirty war1

noundirty war (plural dirty wars)

plural dirty wars

  1. historicalA conflict (particularly one in South America) between a dictatorship against leftist revolutionaries or activists, typically characterized by extrajudicial repression like kidnapping, torture and enforced disappearance.

Dirty War2

proper nounthe Dirty War
  1. historicalThe period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 as a part of Operation Condor.

Origin

  1. Spanishguerra sucia
  2. Englishdirty war

Calque of Spanish guerra sucia.

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic حَرْب قَذِرَة
  • حَرْب قَذِرَة (ḥarb qaḏira)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Bulgarian мръ́сна война́
  • мръ́сна война́ (mrắsna vojná)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Chinese Mandarin 骯髒戰爭 /肮脏战争
  • 骯髒戰爭 /肮脏战争 (āngzāng zhànzhēng)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Czech špinavá válka
  • špinavá válkaconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Dutch vuile oorlog
  • vuile oorlogconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Finnish likainen sota
  • likainen sotaconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
French guerre sale
  • guerre saleconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
German schmutziger Krieg
  • schmutziger Kriegconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Greek βρώμικος πόλεμος
  • βρώμικος πόλεμος (vrómikos pólemos)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Italian guerra sporca
  • guerra sporcaconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Japanese 汚い戦争
  • 汚い戦争 (kitanai sensō)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Korean 더러운 전쟁
  • 더러운 전쟁 (deoreoun jeonjaeng)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Polish brudna wojna
  • brudna wojnaconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Russian гря́зная война́
  • гря́зная война́ (grjáznaja vojná)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Slovak špinavá vojna
  • špinavá vojnaconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Spanish guerra sucia
  • guerra suciaconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Turkish kirli savaş
  • kirli savaşconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Ukrainian брудна́ війна́
  • брудна́ війна́ (brudná vijná)conflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Vietnamese chiến tranh bẩn thỉu
  • chiến tranh bẩn thỉuconflict characterized by extrajudicial repression
Cite this entry
APA

dirty war. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dirty%20war

MLA

“dirty war.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dirty%20war. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dirty war,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dirty%20war.

Source: dirty war on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.