militancy

American  

[mil-i-tuhn-see] / ˈmɪl ɪ tən si /

Sometimes militantness

noun

1. aggressive activism or combativeness in supporting or agitating for a cause.

   Many labor experts credit the early militancy of the Industrial Workers of the World as leading to the eight-hour work day.

2. the act of engaging or readiness to engage in war or armed aggression.

   In September 1914, Planck signed the "Manifesto of 93 German intellectuals to the civilized world" in support of the growing militancy of Germany.

---

Other Word Forms

• hypermilitantcy
  noun
• nonmilitancy
  noun
• supermilitancy
  noun
• ultramilitancy
  noun

Etymology

Origin of militancy

milit(ant) ( def. ) + -ancy ( def. )

Explanation

Militancy means using violence or aggressiveness, usually to support a cause. Militancy make sense on the battlefield but is unwelcome in the school cafeteria during lunch. So no food fights. The noun militancy comes from militant, "combative, violent, or confrontational," which we can trace back to the Latin miles, or "soldier." When soldiers employ militancy, it makes sense, since they are members of the military, which is all about aggression and combat. Seeing militancy in schools or on city streets is a lot more alarming to most people.

Example Sentences

Rai's work during the years of militancy in Punjab during the 1980s remains among his most striking.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

But the Taliban government has denied any involvement or the use of Afghan territory for militancy.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

These strikes and regulations showed renewed labor militancy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

See trucking company Yellow Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in 2023 in part owing to Mr. O’Brien’s labor militancy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

The other was the militancy the suffragists injected into their campaign.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler