militant

[ mil-i-tuhnt ]

/ ˈmɪl ɪ tənt /

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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR militant

1. belligerent, combative, contentious. See fanatic.

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Related forms

mil·i·tan·cy, mil·i·tant·ness, nounmil·i·tant·ly, adverbhy·per·mil·i·tant, adjectivehy·per·mil·i·tant·ly, adverb

non·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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for militant

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The militant monarch or minister is always put in the foremost place and the highest position.
The Revival of Irish Literature|Charles Gavan Duffy
He enlisted under the militant banners and on the personal staff of the Sin Killer.
Sundry Accounts|Irvin S. Cobb
Indeed, a rifle and a badge in the majority of cases alone distinguish the militant from the ordinary civilian.
Uruguay|W. H. Koebel
Over it his militant grey crest curled up; under it his eyes darted two shrewd points of interrogation.
The Imperialist|(a.k.a. Mrs. Everard Cotes) Sara Jeannette Duncan
But having her share of the militant quality which made her uncle what he was, she stood her ground.
A Fool For Love|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for militant

militant

/ (ˈmɪlɪtənt) /

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 for militant

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

Militant

/ (ˈmɪlɪtənt) /

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

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.

militant

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

militant

adjective

noun

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Origin of militant

Examples from the Web for militant

militant

adjective

noun

Word Origin for militant

Militant

noun

militant

militant