Phrase guide

mutual assured destruction

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The threat of massive retaliation using nuclear weapons should a potential enemy use them first, both sides being annihilated in the event of war.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Qualifier: public policy

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

A pun on "assured destruction" ("a highly reliable ability to inflict unacceptable damage ... even after absorbing a surprise first strike"), a term used in discussions of American nuclear strategy in the 1960s. Perhaps coined by Donald Brennan, conservative defense analyst and a public critic of the policy.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: دمار متبادل — threat
  • Chinese Mandarin: 相互保證毀滅 /相互保证毁灭 (xiānghù bǎozhèng huǐmiè) — threat
  • Dutch: gegarandeerde wederzijdse vernietiging — threat
  • Finnish: molemminpuolinen varmistettu tuho — threat
  • French: destruction mutuelle assurée — threat
  • German: Gleichgewicht des Schreckens — threat
  • Japanese: 相互確証破壊 (sōgo kakushō hakai) — threat
  • Korean: 상호확증파괴 (sanghohwakjeungpagoe) — threat
  • Korean: 상호확실파괴 (sanghohwaksilpagoe) — threat
  • Persian: نابودی قطعی متقابل (nâbudi-ye qat'i-ye motaqâbel) — threat
  • Polish: wzajemne zagwarantowane zniszczenie — threat
  • Romanian: distrugere reciprocă asigurată — threat
  • Russian: взаимное гарантированное уничтожение (vzaimnoje garantirovannoje uničtoženije) — threat
  • Spanish: destrucción mutua / mutual / recíproca asegurada — threat
  • Turkish: karşılıklı kesin yıkım — threat
  • Vietnamese: đảm bảo phá huỷ lẫn nhau — threat