militarism

noun

mil·​i·​ta·​rism ˈmi-lə-tə-ˌri-zəm How to pronounce militarism (audio)
1
a
: predominance of the military class or its ideals
b
: exaltation of military virtues and ideals
2
: a policy of aggressive military preparedness
militarist noun or adjective
militaristic adjective
militaristically adverb

Examples of militarism in a Sentence

The administration has been criticized for the militarism of its foreign policy.
Recent Examples on the Web Some activists were part of the Third World Liberation Front, a student group that linked racial segregation and discrimination in the United States to colonialism, imperialism and militarism across the globe. Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 If Russia is not deterred, a renewal of its militarism could coincide with a confrontation between the United States and China over Taiwan. Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2024 Protesters from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Drone Wars UK appeared outside the king's official residence in Edinburgh on Tuesday to highlight concerns about the environmental impact of spaceports and their role in bolstering militarism, The National reports. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 6 Oct. 2023 But over approximately the last decade, militarism and nationalism in both Washington and Beijing have increased—a trend accelerated by Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump—creating a destructive spiral. Blaise Malley, The New Republic, 5 Oct. 2023 As the historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez has chronicled, twentieth-century white evangelicals developed a conception of Christian masculinity that embraced militarism, pugnacity, and John Wayne. Charles McCrary, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023 Nobel historians suspect Sweden’s history of militarism may have been a factor. Karl Ritter, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2023 In the years following the First World War, Zamyatin was not alone in considering how, as fears of large-scale industrialization and militarism took hold, contact with the natural world—a realm with no surveillance, no propaganda, and no rules—might serve as a catalyst to rebellion. Talya Zax, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2023 By the early twentieth century, however, nationalist ideologues were already using the concept of Russian exceptionalism to defend an unvarnished militarism. Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'militarism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of militarism was in 1863

Dictionary Entries Near militarism

Cite this Entry

“Militarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militarism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

militarism

noun
mil·​i·​ta·​rism ˈmil-ə-tə-ˌriz-əm How to pronounce militarism (audio)
1
: control or rule by a military class
2
: extreme admiration and praise of military virtues and ideals
3
: a policy of aggressive military readiness
militarist noun
militaristic adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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