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 inquiry commission pointed to comments Herzog made less than a week after Hamas militants killed and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis on October 7, 2023.
—
Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants fought a full-scale war in 2024.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
Northern Nigeria is in the grip of a complex security crisis featuring Islamic militants and armed gangs kidnapping people for ransom, a challenge that President Bola Tinubu has struggled to address since he was elected in 2023 after promising to end the crisis.
—Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Israel's military said its aircraft and armored units had returned fire after militants started shooting at troops, badly wounding a reservist soldier who was evacuated to a hospital.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Ocean carriers began diverting their vessels around southern Africa at the start of the crisis, when Houthi militants based out of Yemen started launching missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Feb. 2026
But after being tipped off by Roxana, Roper hatched a plan to use two different planes, sending the empty plane to the authorities and the real plane to the Colombian militants in the jungle.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 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
Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants fought a full-scale war in 2024.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
Northern Nigeria is in the grip of a complex security crisis featuring Islamic militants and armed gangs kidnapping people for ransom, a challenge that President Bola Tinubu has struggled to address since he was elected in 2023 after promising to end the crisis.
—Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Israel's military said its aircraft and armored units had returned fire after militants started shooting at troops, badly wounding a reservist soldier who was evacuated to a hospital.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Ocean carriers began diverting their vessels around southern Africa at the start of the crisis, when Houthi militants based out of Yemen started launching missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Feb. 2026
But after being tipped off by Roxana, Roper hatched a plan to use two different planes, sending the empty plane to the authorities and the real plane to the Colombian militants in the jungle.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militants
Noun
-
Good and bad ideas come from all sides of the political spectrum, and hyper-partisans who don’t understand that are unable to see the full range of options when making public policy.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Motele, whose parents were murdered by the Nazis, escaped into the forest and joined a group of Jewish partisans.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Last week, Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally, announced plans for a general amnesty that could lead to the release of hundreds of opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons.—
EGINA GARCIA CANO,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Right Arrow Several female athletes and women's sports activists took aim at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a Super Bowl-style ad on Saturday.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
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For now, privacy crusaders are left to wait.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Militants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militants. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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