The liberal peace(building) paradigm faces compound challenges, from the erosion of the liberal international order and growing great power involvement in civil wars to the emergence of alternative actors in global peace processes. These macro-trends present an epistemic dilemma in (re)defining the contours of peacebuilding. The conventional (liberal) conceptualization of peacebuilding is too restrictive, neglecting alternative practices that are (re)shaping global conflict dynamics. Yet, construing peacebuilding as any policy program implemented in conflict-affected and fragile contexts risks conceptual overstretch, thus diminishing the concept's clarity and analytical leverage. To navigate this epistemic crisis, this article proposes to reimagine the peacebuilding concept by focusing on the processes and practices of political ordering in conflict-affected states. This goes beyond a narrow focus on internal/domestic reform processes and opens the broader question of which actors have the authority to set the legitimate boundaries of the concept and practice of peacebuilding.