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

Those ties widened into a security relationship after 1999, when India fought a limited war with Pakistan over Kashmir and Israel helped New Delhi with arms and ammunition.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2023

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

The elements of strength in limited war are closely analogous to those generally inherent in defence.

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