dovish

D2O1V4I1S1H4
/ˈdʌvɪʃ/

adjective

Pertaining to a dove; dove-like.

“The Federal Reserve's statement on recent inflation was interpreted as dovish by the market.”

Opposite
RareScrabble 13

Meanings

adjectivedovish (comparative more dovish, superlative most dovish)

comparative more dovish · superlative most dovish · alternative doveish

  1. Pertaining to a dove; dove-like.
  2. figurativelyPeaceful, conciliatory.

    Caillaux bypassed his Foreign Office in order to impose his own dovish agenda on the negotiations with Berlin […].

    2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin, published 2013, page 210
    3 more examples

    According to Kathleen A. Francovic, director of surveys for CBS News, it was the “war and peace” issue that seemed to separate the sexes in 1980, with women predictably perched on the dovish side.

    1982 December 10, Ann Hulbert, “What Gender Gap?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    Doubtless an expression of frustration at the UN secretary general, who has long been too dovish for Bush administration tastes.

    2006 July 18, Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian, page 3

    It is entirely possible, for example, that Cameron’s dovish views on China, criticised by many, will not survive now that he is back in office.

    2023 November 15, Helene von Bismarck, “In Europe, we can’t help laughing at David Cameron’s return – but we welcome it too”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

    Synonyms: irenic, pacific, anti-bellicist, dovelike, irenic, irenical, non-violent, pacific · Antonyms: hawkish

  3. economicsDisfavoring increasing interest rates; inclined against increasing interest rates.

    The Federal Reserve's statement on recent inflation was interpreted as dovish by the market.

    2 more examples

    A dovish policy keeps unemployment close to 6 percent and lets the price level swing more widely to absorb economic shocks.

    1985, Price Stability and Public Policy, page 143

    By appearing more dovish than the central bank actually is, the trade-off it faces between stabilization of inflation and stabilization fo the output gap is likely to worsen.

    2010, Jordi Galí, “The New-Keynesian Approach to Monetary Policy Analysis: Lessons and New Directions”, in Volker Wieland, editor, The Science and Practice of Monetary Policy Today, page 15

    Antonyms: hawkish

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveDisfavoring increasing interest rates; inclined against increasing interest rates.

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveopposed to war

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰewbʰ-der.?
  2. Proto-Germanic*dūbaną?
  3. Proto-Germanic*dūbǭ
  4. Proto-West Germanic*dūbā
  5. Old English*dūfe
  6. Middle Englishdouve
  7. Englishdove
  8. Englishdovish

From dove + -ish.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German taubenartig, friedsam
  • taubenartiglike a dove
  • friedsampeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • friedliebendpeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • taubenhaftdisfavoring increasing interest rates
Italian come una colomba, da agnellino
  • come una colombalike a dove
  • da agnellinolike a dove
  • pacatopeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • tranquillopeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • morigeratopeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • equilibratopeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • conservatorepeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • contenutopeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • pacifistapeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
Romanian iubitor al păcii, pacifist
  • iubitor al păciipeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • pacifistpeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
Russian голуби́ный, ми́рный
  • голуби́ный (golubínyj)like a dove
  • ми́рный (mírnyj)peaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • примири́тельный (primirítelʹnyj)peaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • пацифи́стский (pacifístskij)peaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
  • голуби́ный (golubínyj)peaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
Spanish columbino
  • columbinopeaceful, conciliatory, pacifist
Ukrainian голуби́ний
  • голуби́ний (holubýnyj)like a dove
Cite this entry
APA

dovish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dovish

MLA

“dovish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dovish. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dovish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dovish.

Source: dovish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.