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

In this case, the vote also papers over Democrats’ internal divisions, given that the caucus is divided between hawkish Democrats sympathetic to attacking Iran and those who reject the attack outright. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026

Central banks institute a hawkish policy response to the oil cost gains. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026

This suggests that Biden was never really invested in Obama’s achievement, and certain members of his team were certainly hawkish about Iran. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

Republican leaders and several hawkish lawmakers, however, rallied behind the President on Saturday. —Nik Popli, Time, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish