Thucydides

American  

[thoo-sid-i-deez] / θuˈsɪd ɪˌdiz /

noun

1. c460–c400 b.c., Greek historian.

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Thucydides British  

/ θuːˈsɪdɪˌdiːz /

noun

1. ?460–?395 _bc , Greek historian and politician, distinguished for his History of the Peloponnesian War

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Thucydides Cultural  

1. An ancient Greek historian and general. Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War, in which he fought, is famous for its careful reporting of events and its sharp analysis of causes and effects.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Thucydidean
  adjective

Example Sentences

The future seemed shaped by an oft-repeated line from ancient Greek historian Thucydides: “The strong do what they will, and the weak suffer as they must.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Trump also responded to a comment by Xi referring to the "Thucydides Trap," a political theory that war becomes more likely when a rising new power competes with an established great power.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Perhaps Thucydides had something to say about the folly of war that they wouldn’t have appreciated had they remained civilians.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

The Athenian patrician Thucydides began writing the history of his city’s conflict with Sparta even as the war was beginning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

“Into politics, of which I have taken final leave....I have given up newspapers in exchange for Tacitus and Thucydides, for Newton and Euclid; and I find myself much happier.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis