as in hawk
one who urges or attempts to cause a war
a government dominated by militarists
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as in militaristic
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Recent Examples of militarist
Jeff Kingston, Time, 30 Nov. 2025
David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
At the same time, the barrage of vitriol unleashed by China castigating Takaichi as a warmongering militarist includes a reprehensible threat by the Chinese consul-general in Osaka about beheading Takaichi.
—Jeff Kingston, Time, 30 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Right, in France, means pro-Catholic, pro-militarist.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militarist
Noun
-
Privacy hawks have been demanding reforms that build on changes introduced in 2024 to the program and add-ons in exchange for their support on any extension of Section 702.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The fight over those changes - responsible for weeks of turmoil in the House - ultimately resulted in limited modifications that failed to satisfy privacy hawks.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
After the United States and Israel killed dozens of Iranian government leaders, the new regime has been filled by members of the Revolutionary Guard who are more hard-line, militaristic, and reckless than their predecessors.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Ironically, once relieved from their purely militaristic duties, star forts revealed their aesthetic value.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In two separate encounters on Monday, the Israeli air force struck and killed Hezbollah militants that the military said approached its troops in a threatening way.—
Aamer Madhani,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Pakistan’s polio eradication program has been running anti-polio campaigns for years, though health workers and the police assigned to protect them are often targeted by militants who falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In a sea of gray-toned suits and uniforms, the woman trying to soothe her crying baby comes across as an outlier even before a belligerent young salaryman starts screaming at her for disturbing the peace.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Never has the United States had a secretary of defense less capable, more egregiously belligerent, or less suited to provide civilian direction of a war than Pete Hegseth.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
-
To many Chicagoans, the warlike atmosphere is the result of the increasing aggression of the federal government.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
After the marathon day of negotiations over the weekend failed to secure a deal, Ghalibaf didn’t immediately revert to his bellicose rhetoric.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bellicose and vengeful rhetoric describing the military’s war in Iran grew out of his experience in Iraq.—
Patricia Cohen Michael Crowley John Ismay David M. Halbfinger,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Militarist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militarist. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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