militant

/ˈmɪlətɪnt/

/ˈmɪlətɪnt/

Other forms: militants; militantly

A militant is someone who is engaged in a war or who acts aggressively for their cause. If you are militant in your beliefs, you do not question them any more than a soldier questions his orders.

In the context of undeclared or guerrilla warfare, enemy fighters are often referred to not as soldiers but as militants, because they are not members of a formal army. As an adjective, militant often has a negative feel — people on one side of a debate will often try to cast those on the other side as militants.

Definitions of militant

1. adjective

   engaged in war
   synonyms: belligerent, war-ridden, warring

   unpeaceful

   not peaceful
2. adjective

   disposed to warfare or hard-line policies
   “militant nations”

   synonyms: hawkish, warlike

   unpeaceful

   not peaceful
3. adjective

   showing a fighting disposition
   “militant in fighting for better wages for workers”

   synonyms: competitive

   aggressive

   having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends
4. noun

   a militant reformer
   synonyms: activist

   examples:

   Malcolm Little

   militant civil rights leader (1925-1965)

   types:

   Black Muslim

   an activist member of a largely American group of Blacks called the Nation of Islam

   Black Panther

   a member of the Black Panthers political party

   type of:

   crusader, meliorist, reformer, reformist, social reformer

   a person or group who pushes to improve an institution or system by changing it