warlike

adjective

war·like | \ ˈwȯr-ˌlīk

Definition of warlike

1 obsolete : ready for war : equipped to fight

2 : fit for, disposed to, or fond of war : bellicose a warlike people

3 : of, relating to, or useful in war warlike preparations

4 : befitting or characteristic of war or a soldier warlike cries

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about warlike

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Examples of warlike in a Sentence

The government has been criticized for its warlike attitude. a seafarer's legend that the remote island was inhabited by a warlike and uncivilized tribe

Recent Examples on the Web

Two of the most interesting varieties of Trump fan art exemplify two ways that his fans think about him: in traditional, pastoral terms, and in apocalyptic, warlike ones. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "To Trump fans, #MAGA is more than a slogan. It’s an aesthetic.," 8 Aug. 2018 The armory will become a less warlike place when the harrowing update of Federico Garcia Lorca’s tragedy of infertility comes to term. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "15 Plays and Musicals to Go to in NYC This Weekend," 19 Apr. 2018 Kim and Trump traded crude personal insults and warlike threats to attack one another. — Fox News, "10 historic moments in relations between US, North Korea," 11 June 2018 More than a thousand years ago, in roughly 988, Prince Vladimir of Kiev, a warlike pagan of Viking origin, arrived in Crimea, the peninsula that would eventually be jointly claimed by Russia and Ukraine. — Mansur Mirovalev, latimes.com, "In battle between Russia and Ukraine, even God is in dispute," 29 May 2018 For weeks, North Korean experts, from the most dovish to the most warlike, have been unusually united in saying that Kim’s apparent promises to get rid of nuclear weapons and shift Pyongyang’s policy orientation should not be taken at face value. — Heather Hurlburt, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Pushes a New International Order Based on U.S. Bullying," 22 May 2018 The bad news is that it’s populated by the warlike, tribal descendants of those left behind after the bombs dropped. — Crystal Sparrow, The Verge, "The 100 producer Jason Rothenberg breaks down the show’s new season," 3 May 2018 But on Sunday, the same day the United States and South Korea started joint annual military drills, which usually draws warlike rhetoric and even missile tests from the North, South Korean K-pop singers were allowed to perform in Pyongyang. — Choe Sang-hun, New York Times, "North Korea Issues Rare Apology Over Media Access to K-Pop Show," 2 Apr. 2018 For the United States to seek to keep China down merely to preserve its place in the pecking order by, say, further balkanising the internet, is a recipe for a poorer, discordant—and possibly warlike—world. — The Economist, "The battle for digital supremacy," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'warlike.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.