warlike
Americanadjective
-
fit, qualified, or ready for war; martial.
a warlike fleet; warlike tribes.
-
threatening or indicating war.
a warlike tone.
- Synonyms:
- unfriendly, inimical, hostile, belligerent, bellicose
- Antonyms:
- peaceful
-
of or relating to war.
a warlike expedition.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or used in war
-
hostile or belligerent
-
fit or ready for war
Other Word Forms
- unwarlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of warlike
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at war 1, -like
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.
The changes will also lower the threshold for reservists to be recalled so that reservists can be recalled for "warlike preparations".
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
That threshold will be lowered to "warlike preparations", which is already the threshold for reservists who have left active service in the past few years.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026
Knowing all this, I had expected Wallnau in person to have a fiery personality to match his warlike rhetoric.
From Slate • Sep. 25, 2024
In 568 C.E., according to contemporary records, warlike horse riders from the Mongolian steppes called the Avars surged into the grassy plains flanking the Danube River, in roughly the territory of modern Hungary.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 24, 2024
He wasn’t a bad chaperone, but he was definitely the most warlike old goat Piper had ever met.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
