Standard Lemma guide

hawkish

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ˈhɔːkɪʃ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈhɑːkɪʃ/
  • rhymes with -ɔːkɪʃ
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AO1 K IH0 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Resembling a hawk in appearance or behaviour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Supportive of warlike foreign policy; bellicose; inclined toward military action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The Prime Minister could count on the support of a hawkish majority in Parliament to support the invasion.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bellicose

Antonyms: dovish

3

adj

Meaning 3

Favouring increasing interest rates; inclined towards increasing interest rates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The Federal Reserve's recent statement on the slowing of inflation was interpreted as hawkish by the market.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: dovish

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

disposed to warfare or hard-line policies

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • militant nations
  • hawkish congressman
  • warlike policies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: militant, warlike

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap-der.? Proto-Germanic *habukaz Proto-West Germanic *habuk Old English hafoc Middle English hauk English hawk Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -ish English -ish English hawkish From hawk + -ish.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: falkenartig — resembling a hawk
  • French: bagarreur — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • French: batailleur — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • French: va-t-en-guerre — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Galician: belicoso — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Galician: pugnaz — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Galician: batallante — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Galician: batallador — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Galician: militarista — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • German: wucherisch — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • German: militaristisch — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Greek: πολεμοχαρής (polemocharís) — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Hebrew: ניצי — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Russian: вои́нственный (voínstvennyj) — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Russian: ура́-патриоти́ческий (urá-patriotíčeskij) — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Russian: милитари́стский (militarístskij) — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Russian: ястреби́ный (jastrebínyj) — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • Spanish: falconino — supportive of warlike foreign policy
  • German: falkenhaft — favoring increasing interest rates