as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the level of militance varied significantly among the activist groups
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of militance
The flamboyance, militance, and violence of the 1960s left might not have worked right away, after all.
—
Samuel Goldman, The Week, 6 Jan. 2022
The human relationship to fire on this specific piece of land was not always one of fear, anxiety, and militance.
—Manjula Martin, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2021
As spring turned to summer and the pandemic seemed to be at its end, the Haredim reunited, bonded at first by impatience with public-health guidelines and then by a growing militance about the central government’s response.
—New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021
This is compounded by the economic impacts of the Trump trade pressures, the global backlash of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the declining fortunes of national technology champion Huawei, and other reactions to growing China militance and chauvinism.
—Therese Shaheen, National Review, 1 Sep. 2020
That militance was frowned upon by Isaacson and others who favored a civilized political approach.
—BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Love shows up, even in power struggles where Queen’s militance clashes with Slim’s attempts at being level headed.
—Jasmine Grant, Essence, 3 Dec. 2019
The Great Depression and America’s 1941 entry into WWII posed some complicated challenges to this legacy, as labor militance took a back seat at times of national emergency.
—Kim Kelly, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Samuel Goldman, The Week, 6 Jan. 2022
The human relationship to fire on this specific piece of land was not always one of fear, anxiety, and militance.
—Manjula Martin, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2021
As spring turned to summer and the pandemic seemed to be at its end, the Haredim reunited, bonded at first by impatience with public-health guidelines and then by a growing militance about the central government’s response.
—New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021
This is compounded by the economic impacts of the Trump trade pressures, the global backlash of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the declining fortunes of national technology champion Huawei, and other reactions to growing China militance and chauvinism.
—Therese Shaheen, National Review, 1 Sep. 2020
That militance was frowned upon by Isaacson and others who favored a civilized political approach.
—BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Love shows up, even in power struggles where Queen’s militance clashes with Slim’s attempts at being level headed.
—Jasmine Grant, Essence, 3 Dec. 2019
The Great Depression and America’s 1941 entry into WWII posed some complicated challenges to this legacy, as labor militance took a back seat at times of national emergency.
—Kim Kelly, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militance
Noun
-
The problem is, when your side lack intensity, aggression and cohesion, those traps are easy to spot and avoid.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Bass said Pratt’s videos encourage aggression.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Our offense has to be predicated on some of the aggressiveness on the bases.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
-
As with The Second Act, which sent up cancel culture, there’s a slightly reactionary vibe in the way the script has Stewart’s Madeleine represent a distinctly millennial kind of passive-aggressiveness.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The onset of hostilities was enough to persuade around a hundred and eighty Democrats to support the measure.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
As swirling rumors and escalating fears mount of imminent US-Israeli strikes, there is a growing sense of inevitability among many Iranians about the resumption of hostilities.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
But she was criticized for her increasing militancy, even within her African National Congress party.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
2 May 2026
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This meditative portrait pairs humane narration with contemporary Japanese landscapes, exploring the quiet tensions between aging, political militancy and time itself.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The battle wasn't really over, though, as Jamie was shot and killed in a final act of defiance from the British.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Rather than performing as defiance against repression, Vahdat sees singing as an act of strength, resilience and self-protection.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Militance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militance. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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