war of necessity

noun

A war waged out of necessity, such as due to imminent danger to a country's welfare or sovereignty.

“We must consider this struggle against the Axis invasion of the Continent a war of necessity, as it threatens to dismantle our very way of life…”

Opposite
war of choice
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Meanings

nounwar of necessity (plural wars of necessity)

plural wars of necessity

  1. governmentA war waged out of necessity, such as due to imminent danger to a country's welfare or sovereignty.

    We must consider this struggle against the Axis invasion of the Continent a war of necessity, as it threatens to dismantle our very way of life…

    Antonyms: war of choice

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA war waged out of necessity, such as due to imminent danger to a country's welfare or sovereignty.

Opposite
war of choice
Cite this entry
APA

war of necessity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20of%20necessity

MLA

“war of necessity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20of%20necessity. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “war of necessity,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20of%20necessity.

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