as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a seafarer's legend that the remote island was inhabited by a warlike and uncivilized tribe
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Recent Examples of warlike
The bottom line: Bipartisanship is the most obvious casualty of Schumer's new warlike posture toward the GOP.
—
Hans Nichols, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Some characters die violently in a warlike atmosphere, and the remaining ones struggle with their losses.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
The Coming Economic Crisis Outwardly, many Russians seem to support the Kremlin’s warlike stance toward the West.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for warlike
Hans Nichols, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Some characters die violently in a warlike atmosphere, and the remaining ones struggle with their losses.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
The Coming Economic Crisis Outwardly, many Russians seem to support the Kremlin’s warlike stance toward the West.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for warlike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warlike
Adjective
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That, in turn, catalyzed the most aggressive Fed rate-hiking cycle ever and a bear market.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
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Carolina’s penalty kill is extremely aggressive all over the ice.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Attacks in the region by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group allied with the militant organization Islamic State, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has also touted the militant group’s drone capabilities, calling them an effective weapon against Israeli forces operating near and inside southern Lebanon.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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That means unlocking our vast energy resources, expanding production, building pipelines, approving infrastructure and increasing exports to allies who need reliable alternatives to hostile regimes.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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The one major exception is agriculture — and that policy has historical roots dating back to World War II, when the Swiss learned the hard way that food security matters for small countries surrounded by hostile powers.—
Richard W. Rahn,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Warlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warlike. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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