hawkish
Americanadjective
-
resembling a hawk, as in appearance or behavior.
-
advocating war or a belligerently threatening diplomatic policy.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- hawkishly adverb
- hawkishness noun
Etymology
Origin of hawkish
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How does hawkish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Someone who's hawkish is in favor of going to war with other countries. The president's hawkish advisors will frequently recommend military solutions to conflicts. In politics, the adjective hawkish is useful for describing people, groups, or political parties that consistently prefer the war option for reacting to problems around the world. A hawkish politician, also called a hawk or war hawk, might vote in favor of continuing a military operation instead of ending it, for example. This word dates from the 1960s.
Vocabulary lists containing hawkish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Far less certain, however, is Warsh’s ability to realize his ambitious agenda, given persistent inflation, rising oil prices, and the increasingly hawkish tilt of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed’s policy-setting arm.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Another reason to support less-reactive markets is that inflation is starting from a lower base, which means central banks aren’t forced into aggressively hawkish responses as they were in 2022.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
Sunak’s essay pairs hawkish foreign policy analysis with patriotic nostalgia for how the Royal Navy used to maintain Britain’s position as a “global hegemon.”
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
Sticky inflation could push the Fed to take a more hawkish approach, and higher interest rates aren’t good for tech stocks.
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
He saw one bleak hawkish grinning face; hurriedly he mentioned Longstreet’s name.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
