hawkish

[haw-kish]

adjective

1. resembling a hawk, as in appearance or behavior.

2. advocating war or a belligerently threatening diplomatic policy.

ˈhawkish

/ ˈhɔːkɪʃ /

adjective

1. favouring the use or display of force rather than diplomacy to achieve foreign policy goals

Other Word Forms

• hawkishly adverb
• hawkishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈhawkish¹

First recorded in 1835–45; hawk ¹ + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

The next storm, the Iraq War, gave “The Daily Show” vigorous purpose as the hot blade slicing through the hawkish, Islamophobic spin originating from the Bush-Cheney White House, and amplified by Fox News.

From Salon

Us film fans have stared at his hawkish mug for eons, but I can’t remember ever before seeing him flash a huge, daffy grin.

From Los Angeles Times

The biggest “catch” was Palantir’s hiring of former Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher, who had run the hawkish Congressional special committee on Communist China.

From Salon

The possibility that he might draw the US into another foreign entanglement has pitted the isolationist and hawkish wings of his party bitterly against one another.

From BBC

This month, Schumer released a hawkish video aiming to prevent a nuclear deal with Iran.

From Salon

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