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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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.
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
Goldman’s economists also think that the market’s expectations of a Fed policy response to growing inflationary pressures is too hawkish.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Powell, he noted, declined to say that years of above-target inflation should change how the Fed handles a supply shock—a more hawkish position that some had expected him to take.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
South Korea’s pick to lead its central bank could tilt policy in a more hawkish direction, though what that means for interest rates remains uncertain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
They were all dressed in formals, raw silks in black and gray, and their faces had the same cold, hawkish look.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
