How to Say "Guerre Froide" in French

guerre froide

/ɡɛʁ fʁwad/

The phrase guerre froide means.

The phrase guerre froide refers to the.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of guerre (war) and froide (cold), which is the feminine singular form of the adjective froid.

Because guerre is a feminine noun, the adjective froide must take the feminine ending -e.

/ɡɛʁ fʁwad/

In French diplomacy, the term détente was coined during the guerre froide to describe the easing of hostility, a word that was later adopted directly into English.
The French word guerre shares a root with the English word 'war' because both come from the Frankish word *werʀu, meaning 'confusion' or 'quarrel'.
The concept of a 'cold war' is a direct calque, or loan translation, from English into French historical discourse.

La Guerre froide a duré près de 45 ans.
The Cold War lasted nearly 45 years.
Les tensions entre les deux superpuissances ont marqué la Guerre froide.
Tensions between the two superpowers marked the Cold War.
Les conséquences de la Guerre froide ont été ressenties dans le monde entier.
The consequences of the Cold War were felt throughout the world.
La guerre froide a marqué le XXe siècle.
The Cold War marked the 20th century.
Ils vivent une sorte de guerre froide.
They are living through a sort of cold war.
Le climat de la guerre froide persiste encore.
The climate of the Cold War still persists.

Two students are discussing a history lecture in a cafe.

Gabriel

Le cours portait sur la guerre froide.
The lecture was about the Cold War.
Manon

C'est une période très complexe, n'est-ce pas ?
It is a very complex period, isn't it?
Gabriel

Oui, elle a changé la géopolitique mondiale.
Yes, it changed global geopolitics.
Manon

Gabriel, tu as pris beaucoup de notes ?
Gabriel, did you take a lot of notes?

Sources

Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry guerre froide, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries guerre, guerre froide, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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