hawkish

adjective

hawk·​ish ˈhȯ-kish 

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

2

: 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

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

hawkishly adverb

Land is expensive, scarce, and watched hawkishly by environmentalists.

—Boston Magazine

hawkishness noun

… his Western anti-government philosophy and cold-war hawkishness…

—Jon Meacham

Examples of hawkish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There was the young, spry and hawkish Warsh of 2011, a Fed governor who quit following the financial crisis out of protest over the Fed’s bond-buying. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 June 2026

New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh rolled out many new initiatives at the central bank on Wednesday, from balance sheet management to public communications — and a potential rebrand for more hawkish policy. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 17 June 2026

Andrea Riquier Stocks slid into the close Wednesday after a hawkish news conference. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 17 June 2026

And all but two have grown more hawkish since the May meeting. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish