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

Additionally, Trump's hawkish approach to tariffs has fueled tension between the world's two largest economies: China and the U.S. The trade relationship between the U.S. and Beijing was a frequent target of Trump's ire during his first term. —Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025

Trump has long trashed the Obama deal as weak, and both hawkish Republicans and Israel are likely to oppose any deal with similar terms. —Laura Kelly, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025

Although hawkish in tone, the report does not advocate for or against such a project. —Billy Perrigo, Time, 22 Apr. 2025

Other officials have been hawkish on what the US expects from Iran. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hawkish

• mawkish