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
Recent Examples on the Web
Paris has long been more hawkish than Berlin on its support for Ukraine.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
The Biden Administration considered other candidates, including the more hawkish Kaja Kallas, then Prime Minister of Estonia.
—Adam Rasmi, Time, 20 June 2025
Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy leading the U.S. delegation, has become increasingly hawkish in his rhetoric about what is and isn't acceptable for the Trump administration in any prospective agreement.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
In the older New York, progressive politicians such as the late Congressman Charlie Rangel were very hawkish on Israel.
—Lincoln Mitchell, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hawkish
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Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
The Biden Administration considered other candidates, including the more hawkish Kaja Kallas, then Prime Minister of Estonia.
—Adam Rasmi, Time, 20 June 2025
Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy leading the U.S. delegation, has become increasingly hawkish in his rhetoric about what is and isn't acceptable for the Trump administration in any prospective agreement.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
In the older New York, progressive politicians such as the late Congressman Charlie Rangel were very hawkish on Israel.
—Lincoln Mitchell, The Conversation, 27 June 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 18 Jul. 2025.
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