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

Expectations of rate cuts at central banks like the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England have fallen, and in many cases been replaced by anticipations of hawkish monetary policy, sending yields on some European bonds to multi-decade highs. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026

That brings us back to the folly of lionizing Kent as a conscientious objector to Trump and the president’s hawkish foreign policy as of late. —David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026

Conveying a very hawkish signal about the outlook for rates may obviate the need to actually raise them. —The Week Uk, TheWeek, 28 Mar. 2026

The holdover Republicans who have remained attached to the party’s old identity (hawkish, pro-Israel, anti-Russia, opposed to anti-Semitism) have squabbled with its newer entrants. —Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish