1
: resembling or suggesting a hawk or the beak of a hawk in appearance
a hawkish nose
He has a thatch of black curly hair and hawkish features.—
Jeff Shear
Jeff Shear2
: having a militant attitude (as in a dispute) and advocating immediate vigorous action
especially
: supporting war or warlike policies
a hawkish politician
He was a frequent and persistently hawkish participant in the war councils of the Administration. —Vincent Blasi
Vincent Blasi While definitions vary, "neoconservative" generally refers to formerly moderate policy advocates who favor a hawkish and assertive foreign policy to implant democracy and American values abroad. —Paul Richter
Paul Richter
hawkishly
adverb
Land is expensive, scarce, and watched hawkishly by environmentalists.
—Boston Magazine
Boston Magazine
hawkishness
noun
… his Western anti-government philosophy and cold-war hawkishness…
—Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham
Examples of hawkish in a Sentence
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Vadik is caught between allegiances, neither as hawkish as the older members of his family nor as willing to defend the innocence of Palestinians as his daughter.
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Her unflinching defenses of President Trump won her lots of cred in a MAGA world skeptical of her hawkish, Bushie past.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 1 Apr. 2025
However, the number of policymakers who expect one to zero cuts this year increased to eight from four members in December and this could be interpreted as slightly hawkish.
—Paulina Likos,morgan Chittum,jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
But in many respects, the administration has been less hawkish than many expected.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hawkish
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Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Her unflinching defenses of President Trump won her lots of cred in a MAGA world skeptical of her hawkish, Bushie past.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 1 Apr. 2025
However, the number of policymakers who expect one to zero cuts this year increased to eight from four members in December and this could be interpreted as slightly hawkish.
—Paulina Likos,morgan Chittum,jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
But in many respects, the administration has been less hawkish than many expected.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hawkish
Cite this Entry
“Hawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hawkish. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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