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• militant
  militant

  adjective

  aggressively active or combative in support of a cause.
• Militant
  Militant

  noun

  short for Militant Tendency

militant

American  

[mil-i-tuhnt] / ˈmɪl ɪ tənt /

adjective

1. aggressively active or combative in support of a cause.

   militant reformers.

   Synonyms:

   contentious, combative, belligerent

2. engaged in warfare; fighting.

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noun

• militants
  plural

1. a militant person.

2. a person engaged in warfare or combat.

militant ¹ British  

/ ˈmɪlɪtənt /

adjective

1. aggressive or vigorous, esp in the support of a cause

   a militant protest

2. warring; engaged in warfare

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noun

1. a militant person

Militant ² British  

/ ˈmɪlɪtənt /

noun

1. short for Militant Tendency

2. a member of Militant Tendency

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Synonym Usage

See fanatic.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• militancy
  noun
• militantness
  noun
• hypermilitant
  adjective
• nonmilitant
  adjective
• supermilitant
  adjective
• ultramilitant
  adjective
• unmilitant
  adjective
• hypermilitantly
  adverb
• militantly
  adverb
• nonmilitantly
  adverb
• unmilitantly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• militants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of militant

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

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

militant Militant militants

Giving testimony to the US Congress in May, Africom commander Gen Dagvin Anderson alleged that militant groups and narco-traffickers have been working together.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Despite the US-Nigeria joint operation, which came to an end early this month, Islamist militant groups continue to stage attacks.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Other uses included using AI to study battlefield tactics that could lead to reduced casualties, an ex-ISWAP militant said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Every so often, a wildcard will slip through the cracks, but that’s become increasingly uncommon, especially in an era where fans are militant in their reluctance to let any unsavory portraits slide.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

Each day, more militant, action brothers who had been with me in Mosque Seven announced their break from the Nation of Islam to come with me.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

The mistreatment could lead to their radicalization by fueling hatred for Pakistan, said Zahid Hussain, an analyst of militancy and author of several books, including “Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2023

Militant environmentalism is more of a hook than a subject about which the film has a point of view.

From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2023

This led to a rebellion against House Targaryen by the military arm of the Faith of the Seven, the Faith Militant, joined by some rebel Houses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2022

Militant leader Tayseer Jabari was among the dead.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2022

Until later, Gary, Your Militant Working Boy V Dr. Talc lit a Benson & Hedges, looking out of the window of his office in the Social Studies Building.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

It also provided the Yemeni militants with intelligence, target lists including Saudi ports and energy facilities, and advice on sheltering from Saudi retaliation, the officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

In addition to the new division, three new army headquarters will be set up in north-east and central Nigeria - areas plagued by Islamist militants, banditry and clashes between farmers and herders.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Oil prices climbed to close to $100 a barrel on Thursday after Yemen’s Houthi militants claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian tankers in the Red Sea.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Brent crude hit $100 a barrel for the first time in two months after Iran-backed Houthi militants said they attacked two Saudi tankers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

What a strange world it was when a girl who wanted to go to school had to defy militants with machine guns—as well as her own family.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

Related Words

• assertive
• bellicose
• belligerent
• militaristic
• vigorous
• warring