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

Trump’s most hawkish trade advisor on China and his most ardent tariff advocate, Peter Navarro, will not attend the talks. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 7 May 2025

His hawkish pro-Israel position isolated him from former allies, including staff who were part of his recovery plan. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025

Waltz has long been something of an outlier in the second Trump White House because of his traditional hawkish foreign policy views, especially on Russia and Iran. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025

Waltz's hawkish views on foreign policy have reportedly been too traditional to fit in with the MAGA crew, and the adviser was already on thin ice with the president after making headlines in March for an embarrassing group chat mishap. —Meredith Kile, People.com, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish