limited war

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.

limited war

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of limited war¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“We’re in a limited war, which is certainly better than total war, but we’re one or two miscalculations away from spiraling completely out of control,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

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

The failure to prevent U.S. entry into a future Taiwan conflict would result in a “limited war of short duration” designed to delay or defeat U.S. and allied military intervention.

From Washington Times

But his rhetoric has shifted from talk of a limited war — in his telling, one of self-defense — to drawing direct parallels to the colossal fight against Nazism.

From New York Times

“Have we done the correct estimations of what the requirements are? They’ve been very high in this arguably small, limited war,” Milley said.

From Washington Post