Meanings
noun
- historicalThe tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Origin
Probably coined by Lester Pearson in June 1955 at the 10th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter: “The balance of terror has succeeded the balance of power.”
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 恐怖平衡
- 恐怖平衡The tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Finnish kauhun tasapaino
- kauhun tasapainoThe tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
French équilibre de la terreur
- équilibre de la terreurThe tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Polish równowaga strachu
- równowaga strachuThe tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Swedish terrorbalans
- terrorbalansThe tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Cite this entry
APA
balance of terror. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balance%20of%20terror
MLA
“balance of terror.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balance%20of%20terror. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balance of terror,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balance%20of%20terror.
Source: balance of terror on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.