as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the level of militance varied significantly among the activist groups
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of militance
The flamboyance, militance, and violence of the 1960s left might not have worked right away, after all.
—
Samuel Goldman, The Week, 6 Jan. 2022
The human relationship to fire on this specific piece of land was not always one of fear, anxiety, and militance.
—Manjula Martin, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2021
As spring turned to summer and the pandemic seemed to be at its end, the Haredim reunited, bonded at first by impatience with public-health guidelines and then by a growing militance about the central government’s response.
—New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021
This is compounded by the economic impacts of the Trump trade pressures, the global backlash of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the declining fortunes of national technology champion Huawei, and other reactions to growing China militance and chauvinism.
—Therese Shaheen, National Review, 1 Sep. 2020
That militance was frowned upon by Isaacson and others who favored a civilized political approach.
—BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Love shows up, even in power struggles where Queen’s militance clashes with Slim’s attempts at being level headed.
—Jasmine Grant, Essence, 3 Dec. 2019
The Great Depression and America’s 1941 entry into WWII posed some complicated challenges to this legacy, as labor militance took a back seat at times of national emergency.
—Kim Kelly, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Samuel Goldman, The Week, 6 Jan. 2022
The human relationship to fire on this specific piece of land was not always one of fear, anxiety, and militance.
—Manjula Martin, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2021
As spring turned to summer and the pandemic seemed to be at its end, the Haredim reunited, bonded at first by impatience with public-health guidelines and then by a growing militance about the central government’s response.
—New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021
This is compounded by the economic impacts of the Trump trade pressures, the global backlash of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the declining fortunes of national technology champion Huawei, and other reactions to growing China militance and chauvinism.
—Therese Shaheen, National Review, 1 Sep. 2020
That militance was frowned upon by Isaacson and others who favored a civilized political approach.
—BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Love shows up, even in power struggles where Queen’s militance clashes with Slim’s attempts at being level headed.
—Jasmine Grant, Essence, 3 Dec. 2019
The Great Depression and America’s 1941 entry into WWII posed some complicated challenges to this legacy, as labor militance took a back seat at times of national emergency.
—Kim Kelly, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militance
Noun
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Following his Game 1 sluggishness, Wembanyama played with more aggression and decisiveness.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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The teen witness said Hunter Metcalf, the victim’s twin brother, told Anthony to leave in an escalating tone of aggression.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Lurie partly values Roseman because of his strategic aggressiveness to make sure great players are locked down long term.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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Some more aggressiveness on the bases as well.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The idea is that those first steps would create space for gradual deescalation and an effective cessation of hostilities.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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The concept, previously presented in European animation settings including Annecy, was pitched as a YA story about mental health, identity, online hostility and self-acceptance.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Noun
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But she was criticized for her increasing militancy, even within her African National Congress party.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
2 May 2026
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This meditative portrait pairs humane narration with contemporary Japanese landscapes, exploring the quiet tensions between aging, political militancy and time itself.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Noun
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From Stonewall’s 1969 uprising to today’s golf tournaments, human rights summits and bar crawls, Pride events in Los Angeles, New York and global cities mix festival energy with defiance.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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Tensions escalated when Tigray held regional elections in defiance of thata federal delay, leading to a political standoff that erupted into a civil war in November 2020.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Militance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militance. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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