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

The president has given approving head pats to his hawkish defenders. —Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Treasury yields and the dollar retreated, with traders backing off some of their more hawkish Federal Reserve bets, pricing in a few basis points worth of easing this year. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026

Watch central banks next week amid hawkish repricing in rates. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026

Anti-interventionist voices in Washington are reconsidering their expectation that Vance — among the top contenders for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination — would stand up against more hawkish instincts. —Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish