limited war

American  

noun

1. a war conducted with less than a nation's total resources and restricted in aim to less than total defeat of the enemy.

2. a war restricted to a relatively small area of the world and involving few warring nations.

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limited war British  

noun

1. a war in which the belligerents do not seek the total destruction of the enemy, esp one in which nuclear weapons are deliberately not used

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Etymology

Origin of limited war

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The war against Iran has been a limited war, and its outcome is likely to be inconclusive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Since then, the United States returned to fight Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein; in Afghanistan, clear, limited war aims were never stated.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2023

After becoming interested in theories of deterrence and limited war, he decided that nuclear strategy lent itself to his evolving ideas about bargaining and game theory.

From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2016

“We are in a limited war against an unlimited enemy,” Panetta said, which will require a long-term strategy and a president who communicates fully and effectively with the public and Congress.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2014

But in limited war, as we shall see, this need not be the case, and if without making these sacrifices we are able to act mainly on the defensive our position becomes exceedingly strong.

From Some Principles of Maritime Strategy by Corbett, Julian S. (Julian Stafford)