dovish

American  

[duhv-ish] / ˈdʌv ɪʃ /

Also dovelike

adjective

1. (especially of a person in public office) advocating peace, compromise, or a conciliatory national attitude.

   Mr. Weizman made his name as one of Israel's most celebrated fighting men, yet he worked to transform himself into a dovish politician.

2. Economics. advocating low interest rates or other monetary policies aimed at reducing unemployment rather than inflation.

   With the jobless rate in double digits, the same dovish remarks can be expected from other Federal Reserve officials.

3. like or resembling a dove or any of the bird’s typical features or behaviors.

   The sofa fabric is a soft dovish gray.

---

Other Word Forms

• dovishness
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of dovish

dov(e) ¹ ( def. ) + -ish ¹

---

Compare meaning

How does dovish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dovish vs. hawkish

---

Explanation

Someone who's dovish favors political policies that promote peace, rather than conflict with other countries. A dovish president is more likely to sign peace treaties than to start a war. While dovish can mean simply "peaceful and innocent," it's much more common to find it in political writing or speech, particularly in contrast to hawkish. Dovish advisors and cabinet members can influence a government to strive for peaceful resolutions to conflict, while hawkish politicians tend to favor aggressive policies. This political meaning dates from the 1960s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dovish

“Given our baseline of normalizing inflation, peaking energy prices and more dovish central banks, 10-year bonds should gradually move from headwind to hedge in portfolios,” said the strategists.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Two-year yields fell after dovish comments from influential Fed policymaker John Williams—paired with lower oil prices—prompted markets to temper expectations for a rate hike in October.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The bank’s survey found 42% of those polled expect a more dovish tone, in line with ING’s thinking, than the bond markets are currently discounting.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Sentiment is likely supported by a weaker U.S. dollar and slightly more dovish comments from the U.S. policymakers, tempering rate hike expectations, ANZ Research writes in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Johnson griped, “That military genius, McNamara, has gone dovish on me.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---