dirty war: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Only when it forms the official or widely accepted name of a specific historical conflict, most notably Argentina's 'Dirty War' (1976-1983). In general descriptive use, it is lower case ('a dirty war').

Yes, but only metaphorically. It can describe a vicious, underhanded struggle in politics, business, or even within an organisation, where the 'combatants' use unethical, secretive tactics to destroy opponents.

Guerrilla warfare refers to the tactics of a smaller, irregular force against a conventional army. A dirty war describes the *response* of a state (or its agents) using covert, illegal terror against real or perceived enemies, which may include guerrilla fighters but often extends to civilians, activists, and intellectuals.

No. It is a highly charged, critical term used by victims, historians, journalists, and human rights advocates to condemn the methods used. A government conducting such operations would never officially call it a 'dirty war'; they would use terms like 'counter-insurgency' or 'internal security operations'.

A war involving secret operations, often conducted by a government or its agents against its own citizens or internal enemies, using unconventional, brutal, and often illegal methods, while maintaining plausible deniability.

Dirty war is usually formal, academic, journalistic in register.

Dirty war: in British English it is pronounced /ˌdɜː.ti ˈwɔː(r)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌdɝː.t̬i ˈwɔːr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.