Jump To:

• 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.

---

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

---

noun

1. a militant person

Militant ² British  

/ ˈmɪlɪtənt /

noun

1. short for Militant Tendency

2. a member of Militant Tendency

---

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

A report by weapons experts at Conflict Armament Research shows how the Yemeni militant group is developing medium-range weapons independently of Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

His superpower seems to be life-ending, militant ignorance.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

Capt Traoré has previously accused smugglers of taking large quantities of gold out of Burkina Faso illegally and said some of the proceeds were helping finance militant groups.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

The dependence has endured despite decades of insurgency and a series of militant attacks that have made migrant workers vulnerable targets.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Anna Howard Shaw thought Paul was too young and too militant for the job, but she decided to give her a chance after progressive reformer and suffragist Jane Addams spoke up on Paul’s behalf.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The article on its website mentions America Needs Fatima, Catholic Vote and Church Militant as some of the fellow organizers for the event.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 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

Church Militant isn't the only outlet helping to mainstream Doyle's views.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 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

When the Houthi offensive got rolling in early September, the militants deployed large numbers of fighters backed by missiles and drones in a well-planned attack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The Saudis’ escalating fight with the Iran-backed Houthi militants poses new challenges to the country’s security and plans to transform its oil-dependent economy, according to the Wall Street Journal.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Humanitarian flights to and from Riyadh would be allowed with prior authorization, the militants said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Islamabad says the militants use safe haven in Afghanistan to train and plan attacks in Pakistan.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

And I would always reply, “When you are caught between military and militants, there is no good.”

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---