mutual assured destruction

noun

The threat of massive retaliation using nuclear weapons should a potential enemy use them first, both sides being annihilated in the event of war.

Similar
MAD
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Meanings

nounmutual assured destruction (uncountable)

alternative mutually assured destruction

  1. uncountablepublic policygovernmentThe threat of massive retaliation using nuclear weapons should a potential enemy use them first, both sides being annihilated in the event of war.

    Synonyms: MAD

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe threat of massive retaliation using nuclear weapons should a potential enemy use them first, both sides being annihilated in the event of war.

Similar
MAD

Origin

A pun on "assured destruction" ("a highly reliable ability to inflict unacceptable damage ... even after absorbing a surprise first strike"), a term used in discussions of American nuclear strategy in the 1960s. Perhaps coined by Donald Brennan, conservative defense analyst and a public critic of the policy.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic دمار متبادل
  • دمار متبادلthreat
Chinese Mandarin 相互保證毀滅 /相互保证毁灭
  • 相互保證毀滅 /相互保证毁灭 (xiānghù bǎozhèng huǐmiè)threat
Dutch gegarandeerde wederzijdse vernietiging
  • gegarandeerde wederzijdse vernietigingthreat
Finnish molemminpuolinen varmistettu tuho
  • molemminpuolinen varmistettu tuhothreat
French destruction mutuelle assurée
  • destruction mutuelle assuréethreat
German Gleichgewicht des Schreckens
  • Gleichgewicht des Schreckensthreat
Japanese 相互確証破壊
  • 相互確証破壊 (sōgo kakushō hakai)threat
Korean 상호확증파괴, 상호확실파괴
  • 상호확증파괴 (sanghohwakjeungpagoe)threat
  • 상호확실파괴 (sanghohwaksilpagoe)threat
Persian نابودی قطعی متقابل
  • نابودی قطعی متقابل (nâbudi-ye qat'i-ye motaqâbel)threat
Polish wzajemne zagwarantowane zniszczenie
  • wzajemne zagwarantowane zniszczeniethreat
Romanian distrugere reciprocă asigurată
  • distrugere reciprocă asiguratăthreat
Russian взаимное гарантированное уничтожение
  • взаимное гарантированное уничтожение (vzaimnoje garantirovannoje uničtoženije)threat
Spanish destrucción mutua / mutual / recíproca asegurada
  • destrucción mutua / mutual / recíproca aseguradathreat
Turkish karşılıklı kesin yıkım
  • karşılıklı kesin yıkımthreat
Vietnamese đảm bảo phá huỷ lẫn nhau
  • đảm bảo phá huỷ lẫn nhauthreat
Cite this entry
APA

mutual assured destruction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mutual%20assured%20destruction

MLA

“mutual assured destruction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mutual%20assured%20destruction. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mutual assured destruction,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mutual%20assured%20destruction.

Source: mutual assured destruction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.