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 of militant

• 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 prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Islamic State militant group who are held in northeastern Syria. —Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026

Key to the truce continuing to hold is the disarming of Hamas, something that the militant group that has controlled the Palestinian territory since 2007 has refused to do, despite Israel seeing it as nonnegotiable. —Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026

Kibbutz Nir Oz, an Israeli settlement near the Gaza border, had the highest number of casualties in the Hamas attacks, with a quarter of its residents either kidnapped or killed during the Palestinian militant group’s rampage through southern Israel. —Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026

In the years since Israel launched its war on Hamas in Gaza in response to the militant group’s October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel, antisemitic attacks have surged five-fold in Australia. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026

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