escalation of tensions
1
6.5
- noun
:
escalada de tensiones
- The escalation of tensions between the two countries has led to severe consequences for international relations.
Examples
-
The news report highlighted the escalation of tensions between protestors and the police during the demonstration.
-
In order to avoid an escalation of tensions between Japan and the outside, particularly the United States, the Japanese must make their system more palatable to foreigners.
Academic text (1994) -
The potential for an escalation of tensions in South Asia threatened not only to increase India's reliance on the USSR but also to invite even more superpower intervention in the region.
Academic text (1990) -
Such an aggressive posture of pre-emption may lead to an unwarranted and uncontrollable escalation of tensions and the accidental outbreak of hostilities.
Academic text (2003) -
Many experts are worried that an escalation of tensions in the region could spark a larger conflict.
Synonyms
65
5.7
A rise in how serious or costly a situation becomes
2
8.6
A worsening of a problem, conflict, or health symptoms, for example more pain
Antonyms
How Hostile
∞
1.0
- Formal
1
7.4
514
2.7
1
6.5
509
3.2
19
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
escalation + of + tension
The meaning is directly compositional: 'escalation' (a rise in intensity) applied to 'tensions' (hostile feelings or conflict) yields an increase in conflict intensity. This is a common syntactic and semantic pattern across languages (X of Y = increase/heightening of Y) and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Escalation of tensions uses escalation as an image of climbing stairs or a ladder: small problems climb higher and become bigger, so tensions grow stronger. That's why it means 'a situation that becomes more serious or intense'.