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

With policymakers sharply divided and with a more hawkish rotation ahead, additional cuts now require more definitive signs that labor momentum is cooling and that core inflation is settling closer to 3% in early 2026. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025

The hawkish cut is real — kind of. —Sean Conlon,pia Singh, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025

There were plenty of forces steering the GOP back to its roots after Trump lost in 2020 — such as Mitch McConnell, who sought to restore a hawkish foreign policy and traditional Republican economic agenda. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025

While the market is pricing in a Fed rate cut, it could be accompanied by more hawkish forward guidance, which could hurt risk assets like bitcoin, according to Adam Crisafulli, head of Vital Knowledge. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish