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

Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan Logan, historically one of the Fed’s more hawkish officials, does not get a vote on interest rates this year. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025

Despite the apologies, Chinese state media has doubled down on its criticism of the display, with the Global Times, known for its more hawkish stance, highlighting an apparent discrepancy between Arc’teryx statements on its Weibo and Instagram. —Chris Lau, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025

But economists at Citi Research disagreed with the market’s interpretation that Powell was hawkish and instead read a more dovish message. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025

And although hawkish observers believe that China may eventually have aims on Vietnam, the trend has been toward China resolving its border disputes, not expanding its claims. —David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish