hawkish

adjective

hawk·​ish ˈhȯ-kish 

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

Since the July 31 decision to hike rates to 0.25%, Ueda seemed to scale back on this hawkish rhetoric. —William Pesek, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

There were Republicans who were liberal on, for example, the environment, and Democrats who were hawkish on foreign policy. —Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1