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

Rates become an even bigger hurdle for stocks Treasury yields surged to multidecade highs last week as strong economic data and hawkish Federal Reserve commentary raised expectations for more rate hikes. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026

Bond yields had been steadily climbing this year before soaring higher on Wednesday after strong economic data, hawkish comments from a key Federal Reserve official and a weak bond auction. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2026

Perceived as being slow to react during the pandemic, central bankers are more hawkish this time around, suggesting hikes will come faster and more frequently. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Then Chairman Kevin Warsh delivered a surprise — a decidedly hawkish message that opened the door to additional rate hikes as the central bank looks to snuff out stubbornly high inflation. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish