militarist 1 of 2

noun

Definition of militaristnext
as in hawk
one who urges or attempts to cause a war a government dominated by militarists

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militarist

2 of 2

adjective

as in militaristic

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of militarist
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
Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labeled neo-militarist. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 May 2026 Right, in France, means pro-Catholic, pro-militarist. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militarist
  1. hawk
  2. militaristic
  3. militant
  4. belligerent
  5. warlike
  6. bellicose
Noun
  • So too are scavengers like eagles and hawks that feast on rotting remains.
    — Todd Symons, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • Bryce Fitzgerald was a ball hawk as a freshman for the Hurricanes, intercepting a team-high six passes (tied for the second most in the country) despite not being a full-time starter.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of hawk
Adjective
  • Priced from $41,520, the MT1 looks like something from the world of Japanese anime, with none of the militaristic menace of Tesla’s pickup.
    — Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The seemingly militaristic act of archery and peaceful meditation may seem diametrically opposed.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of militaristic
Noun
  • People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • During that time, four MPs were killed by Irish republican militants between 1979 and 1990.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • The tit-for-tat strikes and increasingly belligerent posture from both sides roiled markets and is threatening to unravel the memorandum of understanding signed last month to end the war.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • America, the world’s oldest, continuous, modern democracy, will soon celebrate its 250th birthday—mired in conflict and piloted by a belligerent and mercurial nationalist.
    — Dominic Erdozain, Time, 3 July 2026
Definition of belligerent
Adjective
  • The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • One of the world’s most cooperative mammals is also one of its most warlike.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 8 May 2026
Definition of warlike
Adjective
  • At least, that’s what the bellicose rhetoric from Tehran suggests.
    — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • At National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a controversial but popular Russian studies program introduced last fall has nothing to do with the glories of imperial Russia and everything to do with the thinking and motivations of the bellicose power next door.
    — Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 27 June 2026
Definition of bellicose

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Cite this Entry

“Militarist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militarist. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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