as in aggression
the opinions or actions of people who believe that a country should use military methods, forces, etc., to gain power and to achieve its goals
The administration has been criticized for the militarism of its foreign policy.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of militarism
The ayatollahs have deprived the country of a prosperous civil society, channelling resources instead into militarism and messianic fantasy.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
Iran had significantly ramped up its enrichment capacity, with even the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (not exactly friendly to Israeli militarism) having determined that Iran had been enriching uranium well beyond the level of civilian use, and closer to military grade.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 June 2025
Sebastian and George were powerful Roman men who were expected, as men, to engage in violent militarism.
—Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 27 May 2025
After 2012, when Putin returned to the presidency, the Kremlin began tightening its grip on Russia’s elites, embracing an archaic militarism, and widening its repression of civil society.
—Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for militarism
David Remnick, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
Iran had significantly ramped up its enrichment capacity, with even the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (not exactly friendly to Israeli militarism) having determined that Iran had been enriching uranium well beyond the level of civilian use, and closer to military grade.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 June 2025
Sebastian and George were powerful Roman men who were expected, as men, to engage in violent militarism.
—Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 27 May 2025
After 2012, when Putin returned to the presidency, the Kremlin began tightening its grip on Russia’s elites, embracing an archaic militarism, and widening its repression of civil society.
—Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for militarism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militarism
Noun
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In terms of behavioral issues, aggression, social conflict, and soiling were the most common.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Rutte and Grynkewich described NATO’s eastern flank as the front line of defense, but dismissed arguments that the whole alliance wasn’t at risk of Russian aggression.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That those women and men who died to end slavery, to win basic rights, to win the vote, to dethrone monarchs and destroy the ancien régime, to fight Czarism and fascism and Nazism and imperialism and apartheid, were in some way our moral betters.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
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Another family took their kids to Okinawa, Japan, to get their children thinking about the impact of American influence and imperialism.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Before the Bucs' preseason finale, head coach Todd Bowles praised Sanders for his effort on special teams and his overall aggressiveness.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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The Detroit Tigers came into last offseason with some money to spend and a lot of aggressiveness.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The series undermines its own points about the dangers of miscommunication and jingoism by fixating on the same untoward details that tabloids were obsessing over years before.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Aug. 2025
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India's jingoism and war hysteria should be a source of serious concern for the world.—
Peter Aitken
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Protesters took to the streets again in the capital Tuesday in defiance of a curfew imposed on the city center, and after the government lifted the social media ban.—
Sugam Pokharel,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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But anger against the government showed no signs of abating, as protesters gathered in front of parliament and other places in the capital Kathmandu, in defiance of an indefinite curfew imposed by authorities.—
Gopal Sharma,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Militarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militarism. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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