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Second World

American  

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

  1. the world's industrialized nations other than the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

  2. the Communist and socialist nations of the world.

Etymology

Origin of Second World

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"When you meet him at the beginning of the Second World War, he's retreated from society," Murphy explained.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

During the Second World War, Anna Freud and her colleagues documented that children separated from caregivers suffered deeper and more enduring trauma than those exposed to bombing itself.

From Slate • Jan. 29, 2026

The figure is higher than any time since the Second World War, at the same time as governments across the world are cutting international aid.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

Pizza then exploded in popularity after the Second World War when returning servicemen brought home a seemingly universal passion for the tasty comestible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

“Wasn't radar invented in the Second World War?”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.