militant

adjective

mil·​i·​tant ˈmi-lə-tənt 

1

: engaged in warfare or combat : fighting

2

: aggressively active (as in a cause) : combative

militant conservationists

a militant attitude

militant noun

militantly adverb

militantness noun

Synonyms

• aggressive
• hostile

Choose the Right Synonym for militant

aggressive, militant, assertive, self-assertive mean obtrusively energetic especially in pursuing particular goals.

aggressive implies a disposition to dominate often in disregard of others' rights or in determined and energetic pursuit of one's ends.

aggressive in his business dealings

militant also implies a fighting disposition but suggests not self-seeking but devotion to a cause, movement, or principle.

militant protesters rallied against the new law

assertive suggests bold self-confidence in expression of opinion.

the more assertive speakers dominated the forum

self-assertive connotes forwardness or brash self-confidence.

a self-assertive young upstart

Examples of militant in a Sentence

an angry and militant speech

political radicals with a militant unwillingness to compromise on any issue

Recent Examples on the Web

The Palestinian militant group also abducted more than 250 hostages. —Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025

Now, that was never actually true, and certainly on January 6th, when a lot of the members of these militant groups went to the Capitol and attacked police officers, injuring more than 100 of them, their love for law enforcement was not genuine. —Dana Taylor, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

Iran has supported states and militant groups around the region with the aim of threatening the United States and its Israeli and Arab allies. —Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025

Gaza has been devastated by a war that was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. —Reuters, NBC news, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

militant

adjective

mil·​i·​tant ˈmil-ə-tənt 

1

: being at war

2

: aggressively active especially in a cause

militant protesters

militant noun

militantly adverb

militantness noun