as in partisans
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
militants within the movement insisted that there could be no compromise on the issue
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of militants
The president cheered brokering a fragile ceasefire deal in Gaza and his team’s bringing home hostages taken by Hamas militants, capturing autocratic leader Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and pressing fellow NATO members to increase defense spending among his biggest wins.
—
Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Pakistan's military, in a statement, said 26 militants, including at least one Afghan, were killed in four separate operations in North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Mir Ali districts in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in recent days, near the Afghan border.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
Amid the chaos, Islamic militants, known as ISIS, infiltrated the country.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The airstrikes came after a month of deadly attacks within Pakistan, the most recent being the killing of two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, by militants in the country’s northwest on Saturday, officials said.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Those leftist militants from Christensen’s pet project assassinate Beale during his broadcast.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026
The Assad family, members of the sect, ruled Syria for over half a century until Bashar was ousted in December by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country’s political and sectarian order.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many of the dead were militants.
—TIME, 9 Mar. 2025
Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Pakistan's military, in a statement, said 26 militants, including at least one Afghan, were killed in four separate operations in North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Mir Ali districts in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in recent days, near the Afghan border.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
Amid the chaos, Islamic militants, known as ISIS, infiltrated the country.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The airstrikes came after a month of deadly attacks within Pakistan, the most recent being the killing of two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, by militants in the country’s northwest on Saturday, officials said.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Those leftist militants from Christensen’s pet project assassinate Beale during his broadcast.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026
The Assad family, members of the sect, ruled Syria for over half a century until Bashar was ousted in December by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country’s political and sectarian order.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many of the dead were militants.
—TIME, 9 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militants
Noun
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As is typical for a State of the Union address in recent times, a president's partisans are more likely to watch.—
Anthony Salvanto,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Most typically vote like partisans, in favor of their preferred party.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Street activists in the crowd said the city of Los Angeles has historically been slow to roll out safety improvements.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
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Chicago’s Columbus statues in Grant and Arrigo Park came down after activists forcibly attempted to remove the prominent statue in 2020, leading to violent clashes between police and protesters.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Kennedy has stocked key public health advisory committees with anti-vax crusaders.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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To now endure censure by overzealous anti-Pretendian crusaders, and banishment by bureaucratic tribal decrees and reactionary blood-quantum rules, feels particularly bitter.—
David Treuer,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Militants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militants. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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