cold war

C

cold war (metaphor)
/koʊld ˈwɔr/ (American) · /kəʊld ˈwɔː/ (British)

Meanings

• A state of intense rivalry or hostility between people, groups, or nations that stops short of open violence.
• A political or economic conflict carried out through propaganda, competition, or threats instead of direct fighting.
• A situation of silent resentment or emotional distance between individuals or organizations.
• The specific historical period (1947–1991) of political tension and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Synonyms: rivalry; standoff; antagonism; stalemate; silent conflict; nonviolent tension.

Example Sentences

1. After their argument, the couple lived in a quiet cold war, refusing to speak to each other for days.
2. The two tech companies were locked in a cold war, battling for customers through clever ads and marketing tricks.
3. During the Cold War, the U.S. and the USSR never fought directly but competed in every possible field—from space to sports.
4. The office atmosphere turned bitter, and soon a silent cold war began between the manager and her team.

Origin and History

Early Concept of a Non-Shooting Conflict

Before the modern era, writers and commentators occasionally described prolonged rivalries that avoided open combat as a kind of “war without fighting.” This language captured the idea of political or economic competition waged through threats, alliances, and propaganda rather than actual weapons. The concept behind the phrase “cold war” therefore predates the twentieth century, even though the specific term was not yet fixed.

German Socialist Beginnings

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, German socialist commentators began using phrases similar to “cold war” to describe the tense military and political competition among the European powers. They referred to this situation as a “silent war” or a “cold war,” meaning a conflict fought with distrust and armaments rather than armies in the field. These early uses show that the term existed in European political vocabulary long before World War II.

French Political Vocabulary

By the 1930s, French political and journalistic writing adopted expressions such as “la guerre froide” and “white war” to describe diplomatic and economic confrontations that stopped short of violence. This French usage later influenced English-speaking writers, who began using the same metaphor to describe non-violent conflicts between nations or ideologies. The French connection provided a linguistic bridge that helped the term enter English politics and media.

Earliest English Appearance — March 26, 1938

The earliest known English appearance of the term “cold war” was printed in a periodical on March 26, 1938. The editorial used the sentence:

“The cold war reaps its victories quietly.”

This marks the first recorded use of the exact phrase in English print. It described the growing tension among European nations shortly before the outbreak of World War II, revealing that the expression was already understood to mean a state of hostility without open battle.

The Atomic-Age Definition — October 19, 1945

The modern sense of the term appeared in a famous essay titled You and the Atom Bomb, published on October 19, 1945. The author wrote that nations would soon exist “in a permanent state of ‘cold war’ with their neighbours.” This was the first clear use linking the term to a global balance of power under the shadow of nuclear weapons, shifting its meaning from regional rivalry to worldwide ideological tension.

Public Recognition — April 16, 1947

The phrase became globally recognized after a public speech delivered on April 16, 1947, which declared:

“Let us not be deceived — we are today in the midst of a cold war.”

The line captured public attention and was widely reported, transforming “cold war” into the accepted term for the growing confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. From this moment, the expression moved from editorial and literary language into official political vocabulary.

No Single Inventor

Despite the popularity of the phrase, no single person can be credited with coining “cold war.” Evidence shows that it evolved gradually from earlier European expressions, appeared in English print in 1938, gained ideological meaning in 1945, and achieved mass recognition in 1947. Its creation was therefore collective—shaped by translation, political commentary, and postwar public discourse.

Summary

The term “cold war” emerged from a long tradition of describing rivalries that avoided open combat. Its European roots, early English print record in 1938, and popular adoption after World War II combined to create one of the twentieth century’s most powerful political metaphors. The phrase perfectly captured an era defined by fear, competition, and an uneasy peace maintained without a single declared battle.

Variants

• the Cold War (capitalized — referring to the historical era).
• cold war (general usage for non-violent rivalry).
• cold-war (hyphenated, used in compounds like “cold-war tactics”).
• cold peace / frozen conflict (closely related expressions).

Cold, Enemy