militant
nounEtymology From Middle French militant, from Latin mīlitāns, present participle of mīlitāre (“to serve as a soldier”).
1
Obsolete A soldier, a combatant.
2
An entrenched or aggressive adherent to a particular cause, now especially a member of a particular ideological faction.
- [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:
- 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:
1 more example
- 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
Communism, Government, Human sciences, Ideology, Philosophy, Politics, Sciences Specifically Someone who supports the Trotskyist political view expressed in the newspaper Militant.
- Derived terms
- antimilitant, hypermilitant, militantism, militantly, militantness, Militant Tendency, nonmilitant, supermilitant, ultramilitant, unmilitant