total war is not in our dictionary (yet). Here's what it could mean:
Confidence: high
Results generated using artificial intelligence.
noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The European Union was expressly designed, with the encouragement of the U.S., to prevent the kind of total war that ravaged the continent during the 20th Century.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
“I think it will be a total war tomorrow, so I’ll do my best to hold the opposition in the spots entrusted to me,” Sasaki said in Japanese.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025
Thesaurus
Possible Synonyms
- war of attrition
- absolute warfare
- unrestricted warfare
- all-out war
- nation-on-nation conflict
Possible Antonyms
Words in our thesaurus
other words
- low-intensity conflict
- conventional warfare
- proxy war
