Meaning & use
militant
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Using strong, aggressive methods to fight for a cause and unwilling to compromise.
Grammar: Often comes before a noun: a militant group.
Patterns
- militant about something
The militant union called for an immediate strike.
He took a militant stand against the plan.
Militant protesters blocked the road.
nouncountable
A person who uses forceful or extreme methods to support a political or social cause.
Grammar: Can be counted: several militants.
Patterns
- a militant for something
Police arrested two militants at the rally.
She was a militant in the suffrage movement.
The militants rejected the peace offer.
Word forms
| comparative | more militant |
|---|---|
| superlative | most militant |
| plural | militants |
Common combinations
- militant group
- A militant group claimed responsibility.
- militant union
- The militant union rejected the offer.
- militant activist
- The militant activist chained herself to the gate.
- become militant
- The protest became militant after the talks failed.
- militant tactics
- The leaders disagreed about militant tactics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- radical
- Radical describes wanting deep change but need not involve aggression, while militant suggests willingness to fight.
- extremist
- Extremist is almost always an insult for someone far outside normal views, but militant can be neutral or even admiring.
- aggressive
- Aggressive describes hostile behavior in general, while militant ties that behavior to a cause.
- activist
- Activist is a milder word for someone working for change by any means.
Opposites
Word family
- militancy noun
- aggressive support for a cause
- militantly adverb
- in a forceful, combative way
- military adjective
- relating to armed forces
- militarize verb
- to equip with armed forces
Commonly confused: militant or military?
militant vs military
Military refers to the armed forces of a state, while a militant is usually a civilian fighting for a cause.
Practice
The committee rejected the ____ demands of the group, who refused any compromise.
Choose one answer.
Militant describes combative demands with no compromise. Flexible and tentative suggest willingness to bend, and casual means relaxed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “militant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.