Meanings
cold war1
- uncountableA period of hostile relations between rivals where direct open warfare between them is largely undesired and avoided; especially, either the Cold War or Cold War II.First known use 1945
1951, Daniel V. Gallery, Clear the Decks, 19 October 1945, page 100, World War III started on VJ Day as a cold war. It began to warm up when the Russians blockaded Berlin and nearly reached the exploding point in Korea.
3 more examples
1945, George Orwell, "You and the Atom Bomb", Tribune, 19 October 1945; reprinted in Orwell, Sonia Orwell, and Ian Angus, George Orwell: The Collected Essays, Journalism & Letters, Volume 4: In Front of Your Nose (1946–1950), David R. Godine (2000), ISBN →ISBN, page 9, James Burnham's theory has been much discussed, but few people have yet considered its ideological implications—that is, the kind of world-view, the kind of beliefs, and the social structure that would probably prevail in a state which was at once unconquerable and in a permanent state of “cold war” with its neighbours.
It's just an old war / Not even a cold war
1979, “Broken English”, performed by Marianne FaithfullThe world economy is on the brink of a second cold war that could “annihilate” progress made since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a senior International Monetary Fund official has warned.
2023 December 11, Richard Partington, “World economy on brink of ‘cold war two’, IMF official warns”, in The Guardian, →ISSNAntonyms: hot war
Cold War2
- historicalThe period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, especially the United States, between 1945 and 1991.
The dynamic tests at Wildenrath use continuous test tracks built on the site of a former Royal Air Force station that was vacated after the end of the Cold War.
2023 November 29, Philip Haigh, “New Piccadilly Line trains put to the test”, in RAIL, number 997, page 262 more examples
Well Russia at the present time is at a crossroads. It is often said that the Cold War is over and that the West has won it- that's only half true. Because what has happened is that the communists have been defeated, but the ideas of freedom now are on trial. If they don't work, there will be a reversion to, not communism which has failed, but what I call a new despotism which would pose a mortal danger to the rest of the world because it would be infected with the virus of Russian imperialism which of course has been a characteristic of Russian foreign policy for centuries.
1992 March 30, Richard Nixon, 13:46 from the start, in Richard Nixon on ‘Inside Washington’, Richard Nixon Foundation, via Seoul Broadcasting System, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2017The situation in Berlin had its uses for Moscow, of course, as for others–the city had become the primary listening post and spy center of the Cold War; some 70 different agencies were operating there by 1961, and it was in Berlin that Soviet espionage scored some of their greatest successes.
2005, Tony Judt, “The Politics of Stability”, in Postwar: A history of Europe since 1945, London: Vintage Books, published 2010, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA period of hostile relations between rivals where direct open warfare between them is largely undesired and avoided; especially, either the Cold War or Cold War II.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna state of political hostility between countries using means short of armed warfare
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
cold war · noun
Diachronically, back-formation from Cold War: a common noun back-formed from the proper noun naming the first post–WWII instance of the concept; synchronically, cold + war.
Full word history & related roots →Cold War · proper noun
Coined by American journalist Herbert Bayard Swope in 1947, in a speech he wrote for Bernard Baruch (1870–1965), an American financier and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans Koue Oorlog
- Koue Oorlogperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Arabic حَرْب بَارِدَة, الْحَرْب الْبَارِدَة
- حَرْب بَارِدَة (ḥarb bārida)a period of hostile relations
- الْحَرْب الْبَارِدَة (al-ḥarb al-bārida)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Basque gerra hotza, Gerra Hotza
- gerra hotzaa period of hostile relations
- Gerra Hotzaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Bengali স্নায়ুযুদ্ধ, স্নায়ুযুদ্ধ
- স্নায়ুযুদ্ধ (snaẏujuddho)a period of hostile relations
- স্নায়ুযুদ্ধ (snaẏujuddho)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Bulgarian студе́на война́, студе́на война́
- студе́на война́ (studéna vojná)a period of hostile relations
- студе́на война́ (studéna vojná)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Catalan guerra freda, Guerra Freda
- guerra fredaa period of hostile relations
- Guerra Fredaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Chinese Cantonese 冷戰 /冷战
- 冷戰 /冷战 (laang⁵ zin³)a period of hostile relations
Chinese Mandarin 冷戰 /冷战, 冷戰 /冷战
- 冷戰 /冷战 (lěngzhàn)a period of hostile relations
- 冷戰 /冷战 (lěngzhàn)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
- 美蘇冷戰 /美苏冷战 (Měi-Sū lěngzhàn)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Czech studená válka, studená válka
- studená válkaa period of hostile relations
- studená válkaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Danish kold krig, koldkrig
- kold kriga period of hostile relations
- koldkriga period of hostile relations
- den kolde krigperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Dutch koude oorlog, Koude Oorlog
- koude oorloga period of hostile relations
- Koude Oorlogperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Esperanto malvarma milito, Malvarma milito
- malvarma militoa period of hostile relations
- Malvarma militoperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Estonian külm sõda, Külm sõda
- külm sõdaa period of hostile relations
- Külm sõdaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Finnish kylmä sota, kylmä sota
- kylmä sotaa period of hostile relations
- kylmä sotaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
French guerre froide, Guerre froide
- guerre froidea period of hostile relations
- Guerre froideperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
German kalter Krieg, Kalter Krieg
- kalter Kriega period of hostile relations
- Kalter Kriegperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Greek ψυχρός πόλεμος, ψυχρός πόλεμος
- ψυχρός πόλεμος (psychrós pólemos)a period of hostile relations
- ψυχρός πόλεμος (psychrós pólemos)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Hebrew מִלְחָמָה קָרָה, מלחמה קרה
- מִלְחָמָה קָרָה (milkhamá kará)a period of hostile relations
- מלחמה קרה (milkhamah karah)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Hindi शीतयुद्ध, शीतयुद्ध
- शीतयुद्ध (śītyuddh)a period of hostile relations
- शीतयुद्ध (śītyuddh)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Hungarian hidegháború, hidegháború
- hidegháborúa period of hostile relations
- hidegháborúperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Icelandic kalda stríðið, Kalda stríðið
- kalda stríðiða period of hostile relations
- Kalda stríðiðperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Indonesian perang dingin, Perang Dingin
- perang dingina period of hostile relations
- Perang Dinginperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Irish cogadh fuar, Cogadh Fuar
- cogadh fuara period of hostile relations
- Cogadh Fuarperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Italian guerra fredda, Guerra fredda
- guerra freddaa period of hostile relations
- Guerra freddaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Japanese 冷戦, 冷たい戦争
- 冷戦 (reisen)a period of hostile relations
- 冷たい戦争 (tsumetai sensō)a period of hostile relations
- 米ソ冷戦 (Bei-So reisen)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
- 冷戦 (reisen)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Korean 냉전, 랭전
- 냉전 (naengjeon)a period of hostile relations
- 랭전 (raengjeon)a period of hostile relations
- 냉전 (naengjeon)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Latin bellum frigidum, Bellum Frigidum
- bellum frigiduma period of hostile relations
- Bellum Frigidumperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Latvian aukstais karš, Aukstais karš
- aukstais karša period of hostile relations
- Aukstais karšperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Lithuanian šaltasis karas, Šaltasis karas
- šaltasis karasa period of hostile relations
- Šaltasis karasperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Malay perang dingin, pakanga taungaunga
- perang dingina period of hostile relations
- pakanga taungaungaa period of hostile relations
- Perang Dinginperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Norwegian Den kalde krigen
- Den kalde krigenperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Norwegian Bokmål kald krig
- kald kriga period of hostile relations
Persian جنگ سرد
- جنگ سرد (jang-e sard)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Polish zimna wojna, zimna wojna
- zimna wojnaa period of hostile relations
- zimna wojnaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Portuguese guerra fria, Guerra Fria
- guerra friaa period of hostile relations
- Guerra Friaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Punjabi ਸ਼ੀਤ ਜੰਗ, ਸ਼ੀਤ ਜੰਗ
- ਸ਼ੀਤ ਜੰਗ (śīt jaṅg)a period of hostile relations
- ਸ਼ੀਤ ਜੰਗ (śīt jaṅg)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Romanian război rece, Războiul Rece
- război recea period of hostile relations
- Războiul Receperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Russian холо́дная война́, холо́дная война́
- холо́дная война́ (xolódnaja vojná)a period of hostile relations
- холо́дная война́ (xolódnaja vojná)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Scottish Gaelic an cogadh fuar, An Cogadh Fuar
- an cogadh fuara period of hostile relations
- An Cogadh Fuarperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Slovak studená vojna, studená vojna
- studená vojnaa period of hostile relations
- studená vojnaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Spanish guerra fría, Guerra Fría
- guerra fríaa period of hostile relations
- Guerra Fríaperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Swahili vita baridi
- vita baridia period of hostile relations
Swedish kallt krig, kalla kriget
- kallt kriga period of hostile relations
- kalla krigetperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Tagalog digmaang malamig, Digmaang Malamig
- digmaang malamiga period of hostile relations
- Digmaang Malamigperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Tamil பனிப்போர்
- பனிப்போர் (paṉippōr)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Thai สงครามเย็น, สงครามเย็น
- สงครามเย็น (sǒng-kraam-yen)a period of hostile relations
- สงครามเย็น (sǒng-kraam-yen)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Turkish soğuk savaş, Soğuk Savaş
- soğuk savaşa period of hostile relations
- Soğuk Savaşperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Ukrainian холо́дна війна́, холо́дна війна́
- холо́дна війна́ (xolódna vijná)a period of hostile relations
- холо́дна війна́ (xolódna vijná)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Urdu سَرْد جَن٘گ, سَرْد جَن٘گ
- سَرْد جَن٘گ (sard jaṅg)a period of hostile relations
- سَرْد جَن٘گ (sard jang)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Vietnamese chiến tranh lạnh, Chiến tranh Lạnh
- chiến tranh lạnha period of hostile relations
- Chiến tranh Lạnhperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
- chiến tranh lạnhperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Welsh y rhyfel oer, Y Rhyfel Oer
- y rhyfel oera period of hostile relations
- Y Rhyfel Oerperiod of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Yiddish קאַלטער קריג, קאַלטער קריג
- קאַלטער קריג (kalter krig)a period of hostile relations
- קאַלטער קריג (kalter krig)period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cold war
Cite this entry
cold war. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20war
“cold war.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20war. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold war,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20war.
Source: cold war on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.