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

Korea was frustrating in part because, like Ukraine, it was a limited war.

From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2022

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

But it has been a greatly limited war of airstrikes under strict rules of engagement and a gradual buildup of 3,500 troops restricted to training and advising.

From Washington Times • Dec. 7, 2015

“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 that is a question of the economics of war; it is not a question of "limited war" or of "war for a limited object."

From Naval Warfare by Thursfield, James R.