militant

comparative more militant · superlative most militant

1. Fighting or disposed to fight; belligerent, warlike.First known use 15th c.

   The upper tiers of the foreign ministry were quick to embrace a militant policy.

   2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin, published 2013, page 394

   1 more example

   Senior members of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian militant network blamed for the deadly Bali bombings, have announced they are disbanding the group, according to a report by a Jakarta-based think tank on Thursday.

   2024 July 5, Reuters, “Militant group blamed for 2002 Bali bombings to be disbanded, say senior leaders”, in CNN, archived from the original on 07 Aug 2024

2. Aggressively supporting of an idea, group, political or social cause, etc.; adamant, combative.First known use 17th c.

   The physiological state is not itself militant against erotic expression.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 6

plural militants

1. obsoleteA soldier, a combatant.First known use 17th–19th c.
2. An entrenched or aggressive adherent to a particular cause, now especially a member of a particular ideological faction.First known use 19th c.

   [Jim Owles] lamented the declining influence of militant organizations and tactics, stating that militants "help keep the rest of us honest," and prevent moderates from selling out.

   1976 December 11, Thom Willenbecher, quoting Jean O'Leary, “Women's Caucus Quits Gay Academic Union”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 24, page 1

   2 more examples

   Described by witnesses as a keen cricketer and pubgoer until contacts with Islamic militants radicalized him on a trip to Pakistan, he was ordered to serve at least 14 years for the plot, and for supplying militants in Afghanistan with money and equipment.

   2008 February 19, John F. Burns, “Britain: Life Sentence in Beheading Plot”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022

   Officials in Pakistan have confirmed that at least 250 schoolchildren between 12 and 18 years old and several teachers were taken hostage by at least seven militants inside a high school in Domail.

   2008, Militants in Pakistan release 250 schoolchildren after taking them hostage, Wikinews

3. specificallycommunismSomeone who supports the Trotskyist political view expressed in the newspaper Militant.First known use 20th c.