militant

[mil-i-tuhnt]

See more synonyms for militant on Thesaurus.com

adjective

vigorously active and aggressive, especially in support of a cause: militant reformers.
engaged in warfare; fighting.

noun

a militant person.
a person engaged in warfare or combat.

Origin of militant

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin mīlitant- (stem of mīlitāns), present participle of mīlitāre to serve as a soldier. See militate, -ant

Related formsmil·i·tan·cy, mil·i·tant·ness, nounmil·i·tant·ly, adverbhy·per·mil·i·tant, adjectivehy·per·mil·i·tant·ly, adverbnon·mil·i·tan·cy, nounnon·mil·i·tant, adjective, nounnon·mil·i·tant·ly, adverbsu·per·mil·i·tant, adjectiveul·tra·mil·i·tant, adjectiveun·mil·i·tant, adjectiveun·mil·i·tant·ly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. belligerent, combative, contentious. See fanatic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for militant

Contemporary Examples

At least one child in CAR has been killed or gravely injured per day, and 10,000 have been recruited into militant groups.
The Year’s Most Forgotten Humanitarian Crisis
Nina Strochlic
January 1, 2015
This led to the formation of a Christian militant group to counter the rebels, and all-out sectarian violence exploded.
The Year’s Most Forgotten Humanitarian Crisis
Nina Strochlic
January 1, 2015
The hostage is the only American woman held by the militant group.
A 26-Year-Old Woman Is ISIS’s Last American Hostage
Shane Harris
November 17, 2014
Allying themselves with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, some Lebanese Christians are standing their ground against ISIS.
Lebanese Christians Gun Up Against ISIS
Susannah George
November 10, 2014
He was in New York only a couple of week ago, speaking at the United Nations, where he denounced “militant Islam.”
Can We Lose the Violent Muslim Cliché?
Jay Parini
October 12, 2014

Historical Examples

Might I ask why this sudden interest in the militant laboring ladies?
An American Suffragette
Isaac N. Stevens
The emotions of the militant Federalists were too various to admit of description.
Union and Democracy
Allen Johnson
To these images and values he conformed, not submissively, but with a militant enthusiasm.
Erik Dorn
Ben Hecht
Their militant social democracy was at once comical and corrective.
A Daughter of the Middle Border
Hamlin Garland
"Darwinismus" became the battle-cry of the militant spirits of that time.
Form and Function
E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

British Dictionary definitions for militant

militant

adjective

aggressive or vigorous, esp in the support of a causea militant protest
warring; engaged in warfare

noun

a militant person

Derived Formsmilitancy or rare militantness, nounmilitantly, adverb

Word Origin

C15: from Latin mīlitāre to be a soldier, from mīles soldier

Militant

noun

short for Militant Tendency
a member of Militant Tendency

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for militant

adj.

early 15c., "fighting, engaged in warfare," from Middle French militant "fighting," from Latin militantem (nominative militans), present participle of militare "serve as a soldier" (see militate), originally especially in Church militant. Related: Militantly.

n.

"one engaged in war or strife," c.1600, from militant (adj.); in a political sense, it is attested by 1907.

militant

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}militant

Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for militant

Contemporary Examples

At least one child in CAR has been killed or gravely injured per day, and 10,000 have been recruited into militant groups.

This led to the formation of a Christian militant group to counter the rebels, and all-out sectarian violence exploded.

The hostage is the only American woman held by the militant group.

Allying themselves with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, some Lebanese Christians are standing their ground against ISIS.

He was in New York only a couple of week ago, speaking at the United Nations, where he denounced “militant Islam.”

Historical Examples

Might I ask why this sudden interest in the militant laboring ladies?

The emotions of the militant Federalists were too various to admit of description.

To these images and values he conformed, not submissively, but with a militant enthusiasm.

Their militant social democracy was at once comical and corrective.

"Darwinismus" became the battle-cry of the militant spirits of that time.

militant

Word Origin

Militant

Word Origin and History for militant

adj.

n.

Origin of militant