culture war

American  

[kuhl-cher wawr] / ˈkʌl tʃər ˌwɔr /

noun

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of culture war

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

Example Sentences

Maybe Mr. Noseda really is tone-deaf to America’s culture war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Thanks to a lazy pun that’s as uninspired as the jeans it’s meant to sell, a series of American Eagle Outfitters ads starring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney have sparked a culture war.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

But now, a new kind of culture war is brewing among the creative class — one that cuts deeper into professional and personal identities.

From Salon • Nov. 24, 2024

Surely it’s more enjoyable to read novels and spend time with grandchildren than to scrap with culture war hotheads or stay up late into the night to hash out a vote.

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2024

It is, however, not to be forgotten that in early stages of culture war constitutes almost the only form in which contact with an alien group occurs.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra