war-fever
Definition
Noun (uncountable): - An intense, often irrational enthusiasm or eagerness for war: "war-fever" refers to a widespread emotional state in a population, characterized by aggressive nationalism, excitement, and a desire for military conflict. It often arises during times of political tension or propaganda.
Usage Examples
- (The media created intense enthusiasm for war.)
- (The population became emotionally obsessed with war.)
- (The speeches aimed to provoke aggressive war enthusiasm.)
Advanced Usage
"to catch war-fever": to become infected by the collective enthusiasm for war.
- Many young men caught war-fever and enlisted eagerly. (They became swept up in the emotional wave of support for war.)
"war-fever propaganda": media or messaging deliberately designed to generate war-fever.
- The government's war-fever propaganda used images of heroic soldiers and enemy atrocities. (Propaganda aimed at creating war enthusiasm.)
Variants and Related Words
- War-feverish (adj): showing symptoms of war-fever; excessively warlike.
- The war-feverish crowd cheered for military action. (The crowd was gripped by irrational war enthusiasm.)
Synonyms
- Jingoism: extreme nationalism marked by a belligerent foreign policy, often involving war-fever.
- Militarism: a belief in the value of military strength and readiness, which can fuel war-fever.
- Warmongering: the act of encouraging or promoting war, often causing war-fever.
Related Idioms
Beat the drums of war: to actively promote or agitate for war, often generating war-fever.
- The politicians beat the drums of war, and soon war-fever spread through the capital. (They stirred up aggressive feelings.)
Rattling the sabre: making threatening military gestures that can provoke war-fever.
- Rattling the sabre across the border only increased war-fever at home. (Threatening military actions fueled enthusiasm for conflict.)