culture war: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Medium-HighFormal, Academic, Journalistic
Quick answer
What does “culture war” mean?
A conflict between groups with different cultural values and social beliefs, often involving politics, education, and media.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A conflict between groups with different cultural values and social beliefs, often involving politics, education, and media.
Sustained public debate and political struggle over issues of identity, morality, tradition, and societal direction, where competing groups seek to impose their worldview through institutions and public discourse.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term originated in the US and is more deeply embedded in American political discourse. In British usage, it is often framed as an import of American-style political polarization.
Connotations
In the US, it often has stronger partisan and ideological connotations. In the UK, it can carry a slightly more academic or journalistic tone, sometimes used critically to describe imported conflicts.
Frequency
More frequent in US political and media contexts. In the UK, usage has increased significantly since the late 2010s but remains less pervasive than in the US.
Grammar
How to Use “culture war” in a Sentence
[Subject] wages a culture war over [Issue][Issue] has become a culture war flashpointThe culture war surrounding [Topic]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “culture war” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The government was accused of trying to culture-war its way out of the scandal.
- Politicians should not culture-war over such sensitive heritage issues.
American English
- Some activists argue the right is culture-warring against public education.
- The network was accused of culture-warring to boost ratings.
adverb
British English
- The speech was delivered quite culture-warrishly, aiming to divide.
American English
- He argued culture-warringly about the new curriculum.
adjective
British English
- The debate took a culture-war turn.
- It was a classic culture-war issue, polarising the electorate.
American English
- The governor ran on a culture-war platform.
- We're tired of these culture-war tactics.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe consumer boycotts, brand activism, or workplace debates on diversity that impact corporate reputation.
Academic
Used in sociology, political science, and media studies to analyze conflicts over values, identity, and hegemony.
Everyday
Used in news discussions to describe heated public arguments about history, gender, or speech.
Technical
Not a technical term; used descriptively rather than with a precise operational definition.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “culture war”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “culture war”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “culture war”
- Using it to describe any minor disagreement (overuse). Treating it as a synonym for 'debate' without the sustained, systemic conflict aspect. Using 'culture war' as a verb.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it gained prominence in the early 1990s in US political discourse, though conflicts it describes are much older.
Typically no. It primarily describes conflicts *within* a society over its own dominant values and symbols, not between nations.
It is a descriptive term in academia, but in media and politics, it is often used strategically, sometimes pejoratively to dismiss the other side's concerns as divisive.
A debate seeks resolution through argument; a culture war is a prolonged state of conflict where the goal is often dominance or undermining the opposing worldview, not compromise.
A conflict between groups with different cultural values and social beliefs, often involving politics, education, and media.
Culture war is usually formal, academic, journalistic in register.
Culture war: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkʌltʃə wɔː/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkʌltʃər wɔːr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A flashpoint in the culture war”
- “To be on the front lines of the culture war”
- “Culture war fodder”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of two armies (CULTURE tribes) at WAR over whose stories, symbols, and values get taught and celebrated.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIETY IS A BATTLEFIELD (where ideas are weapons, groups are armies, and institutions are territory to be captured).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of a 'culture war' issue?