militancy
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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
Etymology
Origin of militancy
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.
Vocabulary lists containing militancy
Fighting Words: Belli and Milit
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Revolution in Our Time
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"Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington" by Charles Euchner
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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.
By arming her mammies with revolvers, rifles and bullets, Saar turned a symbol of servility into one of militancy and power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Afghanistan's Taliban government denies the country's involvement in militancy in Pakistan.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Rai's work during the years of militancy in Punjab during the 1980s remains among his most striking.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
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
While I was encouraged by their militancy, I thought that their philosophy, in its concentration on blackness, was exclusionary, and represented an intermediate view that was not fully mature.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
