MILITANCE Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

militance

noun

ˈmi-lə-tən(t)s

Definition of militance

as in aggression

an inclination to fight or quarrel the level of militance varied significantly among the activist groups

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of militance President Penn and her husband Todd (Whitford) get to throw down now and then, as a husband who already feels emasculated has to sit and watch his wife recede into bitter militance. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026 Activists fused mourning and militance, fighting against indifference to the lives of gay men and, later, people of color and intravenous drug users. — Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 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 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

Trump and Lee must restore deterrence, not reward Kim’s aggression, to avoid strategic and economic calamity.

— Dan Blumenthal, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
The aggression paid off as Kansas converted five fourth downs while improving to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of aggression

Noun

Hatred toward minorities is not new in America, but the recent surge in hostility aimed at Indian Americans is staggering.

— Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Riyadh said the discussions were aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open and preventing another escalation in hostilities.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of hostility

Noun

Menchú’s political militancy comes before her traditional domestic role as the only way to guarantee the survival of her people.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026
The latest operation came just over a week after Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ruled out negotiations with insurgents and said security operations would continue until militancy was eliminated from the province.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of militancy

Noun

This hint of connection between them is later made concrete when, at the demonstration, the two are complicit in an act of defiance — throwing a cobblestone at a policeman, badly injuring him — and must skip town for the night.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
These behaviors can be signals of distress but may be mistaken for defiance.

— Jermaine F. Williams, Baltimore Sun, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of defiance

Browse Nearby Words

milieus

militance

militancy

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“Militance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militance. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of militance

noun

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