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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Example Sentences
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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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The recent turmoil is testing some of the foundations that powered private credit’s rapid growth, including aggressive underwriting, highly leveraged middle-market borrowers and the promise of stable capital insulated from bank-style runs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Belt-Stubblefield did not take aggressive action and tried to walk away.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface.—
ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN,
Arkansas Online,
2 Mar. 2026
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Another militant faction, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is a more direct Iranian proxy than Hamas in both Gaza and the West Bank.—
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Bushey’s hostile behavior following his sister’s arrival caused Laurie and her mother to take several safety measures out of fear, such as removing knives from the home, changing the locks, and finally pursuing a restraining order against Bushey and taking steps to evict him, Pirrello said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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As events are leaning toward David Ellison and Paramount prevailing in its $108 billion hostile-takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, almost a dozen Republican state attorneys general are insisting that the federal government heavily scrutinize Netflix‘s bid for the iconic studio.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Warlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warlike. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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