aggressively active or combative in support of a cause.
militant reformers.
engaged in warfare; fighting.
a militant person.
a person engaged in warfare or combat.
aggressive or vigorous, esp in the support of a cause
a militant protest
warring; engaged in warfare
short for Militant Tendency
a member of Militant Tendency
See fanatic.
First recorded in 1400–1450; late Middle English, from Latin mīlitant- (stem of mīlitāns ), present participle of mīlitāre “to serve as a soldier”; see militate, -ant
A militant is someone who is engaged in a war or who acts aggressively for their cause. If you are militant in your beliefs, you do not question them any more than a soldier questions his orders. In the context of undeclared or guerrilla warfare, enemy fighters are often referred to not as soldiers but as militants, because they are not members of a formal army. As an adjective, militant often has a negative feel — people on one side of a debate will often try to cast those on the other side as militants.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The parliament elected Joseph Aoun as president, and the U.S. hailed the opportunity for the government to assert its sovereignty and disarm the militant group.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The five have also been charged with using symbols of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, which is proscribed as a "terrorist organisation" in Germany.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
U.S. aid has been a lifeline for communities whose desperation can be exploited by militant recruiters.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Since then, Nigeria has allowed hundreds of American troops to be posted to the country to train Nigerian forces and coordinate targeting of militant groups that have rampaged through the Lake Chad Basin for years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Even at the Mutual he had had to fight against pressures to be less militant.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
