hawkish

8 synonyms and 3 antonyms for hawkish, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Favouring forceful or aggressive action, particularly military force or a hard line in foreign policy, rather than negotiation.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

aggressive

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

militant vigilant

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

belligerent warlike hardline keen-eyed watchful

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adjective

Favouring forceful or aggressive action, particularly military force or a hard line in foreign policy, rather than negotiation.

“The new defence secretary is markedly more hawkish than her predecessor.”

militant belligerent aggressive warlike hardline

Opposites

dovish conciliatory pacifist

2. adjective

In economics, favouring tighter monetary policy — higher interest rates and restraint — in order to hold down inflation.

“The minutes struck a hawkish tone and the pound rallied.”

Opposites

dovish

3. adjective

Watchful and sharp-eyed, like a hawk.

“He kept a hawkish eye on the till all evening.”

vigilant keen-eyed watchful

How to use hawkish

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

hawkish stance hawkish tone hawkish on inflation hawkish faction increasingly hawkish

Standard in political and financial journalism. The financial sense is now so common that 'hawkish' in a market report is about interest rates, not war.

Etymology

From hawk, the bird of prey, long used figuratively for a person who favours war, with the adjective ending -ish.

Full origin of hawkish →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between hawkish and dovish?

Hawkish means favouring the tougher option — military force in politics, or higher interest rates in economics. Dovish means favouring the softer one — diplomacy and restraint, or lower rates to support growth and employment. The terms describe a position on a spectrum, not a party.

What does hawkish mean in relation to the Fed or the Bank of England?

It means leaning towards raising interest rates or keeping them high to suppress inflation, even at the cost of slower growth. Markets read a hawkish statement as a signal that borrowing will stay expensive, which typically strengthens the currency and weighs on shares.

People also searched

aggressive militant vigilant pacifist dovish hardline belligerent warlike watchful conciliatory

Nearby words

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