What does postwar mean?
Postwar is an adjective and noun describing the period after a war and the conditions associated with it. It is frequently used for the decades following the First or Second World War, as in postwar reconstruction, the postwar economy, and postwar Europe. Its meaning extends beyond the immediate cessation of fighting to include economic recovery, political change, population movements, cultural shifts, and lasting social or psychological effects. As a noun, postwar usually appears in forms such as the postwar or in the early postwar and refers to the whole post-conflict era. The word can therefore describe either a specific historical phase or more generally the condition of a society after wartime disruption. Its close spelling, post-war, is a standard hyphenated variant. Postwar is especially useful where the distinction between the fighting itself and its prolonged aftermath is important.
Denoting the period, conditions, or effects that exist after a war.
"The city became a center of postwar architecture and industrial design."
Commonly used before a noun; the hyphenated spelling post-war is also standard.
The period of time following a war.
"The immediate postwar brought severe shortages and widespread displacement."
Usually used without a determiner in forms such as in the postwar or during the postwar.
Rare; normally the word is used in the singular or attributively, and plural postwars would refer to distinct postwar periods.
"The cultural changes of the postwar shaped the country's later politics."
“Postwar” marks not merely the end of fighting, but the long and complicated life that follows.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postwar come from?
Postwar was formed in English from the combining form post-, meaning “after,” and war. The prefix comes through Latin post, “after,” and is also the source of cognates such as posterior, postlude, postgraduate, and postmortem. The compound became prominent in English through the growing use of period terms such as prewar and postwar, particularly in discussion of the world wars and their aftermaths.
How postwar is actually used
Postwar is most often used attributively, as in postwar Europe or the postwar economy. In historical contexts it may refer specifically to the period after the Second World War, although it can apply to the aftermath of any war. The hyphenated form post-war is also widely accepted.
Easily confused with postwar
Post-war is simply an alternative hyphenated spelling of the adjective and noun postwar, with the same meaning.
Postwar is the standard closed form, while post-war is a conventional hyphenated variant; neither has a distinct meaning.