culture war

[ kuhl-cher wawr ]

noun

a conflict or struggle for dominance between groups within a society or between societies, arising from their differing beliefs, practices, etc.: a culture war over the right to own a gun; China’s culture war with the Western world.

Origin of culture war

First recorded in 1875–80; a loan translation of German Kulturkampf. The contemporary sense was first recorded in 1985–90 .

Words Nearby culture war

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use culture war in a sentence

He cast the protests in terms of a culture war, describing protesters—some of whom had displayed artwork that mixed pride flags with an image of the Kaaba—as “LGBT youth” working against Turkey’s “national and spiritual values.”
The 'Badass Chief of Staff' of Turkey's Opposition Faces Years in Jail After Challenging Erdogan's Power. She's Not Backing Down | Joseph Hincks / Istanbul | February 24, 2021 | Time
Last year’s Doritos Super Bowl commercial with grizzled Hollywood vet Sam Elliott and out-and-proud, hip-hop country rapper Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus waded into the culture wars in wonderfully sly fashion.
The Brave New World of Advertising | Daniel Malloy | February 7, 2021 | Ozy
The culture war over encrypted messaging might finally be ending.
In the Fight Against Extremism, Don't Demonize Surveillance-Busting Tools like Signal and Bitcoin | Alex Gladstein | January 26, 2021 | Time
Without foreign tourists, with closed clubs, pubs and restaurants, and with the ruling party stoking a new culture war over LGBTQ rights, Budapest’s flourishing drag scene faces the dual brunt of conservative attitudes and economic hardship.
Will Budapest’s Drag Scene Survive the Pandemic and Populism? | Charu Kasturi | January 25, 2021 | Ozy
If it becomes another culture war football like masks, it will not help us get past the virus and return to normal.
How to Tell a Political Stunt From a Real Vaccine | by Caroline Chen, Isaac Arnsdorf and Ryan Gabrielson | September 26, 2020 | ProPublica

I am personally guilty of thinking that the culture war can be at least partially won on style points.
Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Really. | Ana Marie Cox | December 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the respectable guise of religious liberty, the zombie-like culture war soldiers on.
RFRA Madness: What’s Next for Anti-Democratic ‘Religious Exemptions’ | Jay Michaelson | November 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Different battlefield, but the same “culture war,” the same sides.
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage | Arthur Chu | October 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We smart people in the big cities all agree that the right has lost the culture war.
The State Where the Right Won the Culture War | Michael Tomasky | October 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But West Virginia is the one place where the right won the culture war.
The State Where the Right Won the Culture War | Michael Tomasky | October 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

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