hawkish

adjective

hawk·​ish ˈhȯ-kish How to pronounce hawkish (audio)
1
: resembling or suggesting a hawk or the beak of a hawk in appearance
a hawkish nose
He has a thatch of black curly hair and hawkish features.Jeff Shear
2
: having a militant attitude (as in a dispute) and advocating immediate vigorous action
especially : supporting war or warlike policies
a hawkish politician
He was a frequent and persistently hawkish participant in the war councils of the Administration. Vincent Blasi
While definitions vary, "neoconservative" generally refers to formerly moderate policy advocates who favor a hawkish and assertive foreign policy to implant democracy and American values abroad. Paul Richter
hawkishly adverb
Land is expensive, scarce, and watched hawkishly by environmentalists. Boston Magazine
hawkishness noun
… his Western anti-government philosophy and cold-war hawkishness Jon Meacham

Examples of hawkish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The bank struck a hawkish tone regarding further policy steps on Friday. Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024 Immigration, border control A Republican Congress would force Harris to maintain the more hawkish posture on border security that she's projected on the campaign trail. Axios, 17 Oct. 2024 This hawkish legal strategy indicates that a new phase of the GLP-1 gold rush has begun—a crackdown against any entity selling non-name-brand medications. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 10 Oct. 2024 Unemployment is the sticking point Rising unemployment has been the factor which has caused even the more hawkish members of the FOMC to pause. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hawkish 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hawkish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hawkish was in 1747

Dictionary Entries Near hawkish

Cite this Entry

“Hawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hawkish. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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