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 Fed’s first policy meeting of the year wrapped up Wednesday, with policymakers as expected leaving interest rates changed but starting to show a more hawkish consensus taking shape as the economic outlook improves. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026

Nine of the 13 survey respondents also expect a hawkish bias in the statement, with four predicting no change to the tone. —Swati Pandey, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026

Graham has a long history of hawkish stances on foreign policy. —Jared Gans, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026

Backing him up was close ally and hawkish Sen. Lindsey Graham, who stood beside Trump on Air Force One as the president fielded questions from the press. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish