Warlike

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈwɔɹlaɪk/

Definitions

1. Characterized by aggression, hostility, or a readiness to engage in armed conflict
2. Showing a tendency toward aggression and readiness for armed struggle
3. Having a disposition that favors fighting or military action

Etymology: "Warlike" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it is simply "war" with the suffix "-like" attached, meaning "having the character or appearance of war." The suffix itself is ancient and productive. "-like" descends from Old English "gelīc," meaning "having the same form or body," and it has been bolted onto nouns and adjectives throughout the language's history to mean "resembling," which is how we get words like "childlike" and "lifelike." The more surprising detail is that the word had an older rival. English speakers once used "warly," formed the same way from "war," and "warlike" displaced it over time. Both words follow the same logic, so the choice between them was less about meaning than about which form happened to win out in use.

Synonyms: militant, belligerent, aggressive, hostile, pugnacious

Antonyms: peaceful, pacifist, non-aggressive, tranquil, conciliatory