Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MILITANT

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connect today's word to others: My four-year-old daughter likes to make up words. (I love this.) She says "That dog is so attack-y," and then I get to introduce her to the word aggressive. If we need to take the word aggressive a step further, we can pick the word militant to emphasize how people seem to be attacking us (or our ideas) like it's their duty, like they're soldiers devoted to a cause. Or, like my daughter would say, they're all soldier-y. Let's recall some other words for aggressive, militant people: 1. Someone b____cose is eager to fight or ready to start a disagreement. 2. And a m____net is someone very strict and rigid about making everybody follow rules. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MILITANT" A militant is someone in a military, literally or figuratively. That is, a militant is a soldier, or someone who fights for a cause in a violent or overly extreme way. And, militant people and things remind you of soldiers or warfare because they're violent or overly extreme as they fight for a cause. Pronunciation: MILL uh tunt Part of speech: Both a noun ("she's a militant") and an adjective ("he's militant"). Other forms: militants; militantly; militance, militancy, and militariness How to use it: This word has a harsh, negative tone.  To use "militant" as a noun, you can be literal and call people militants if they're soldiers or fighters. Or be figurative, and call people militants if they fight like soldiers for the causes they believe in: "We have one advantage over these militants." "Those militants won't listen to reason." Let's look at the adjective next. Talk about militant people and groups (such as militant rulers, militant Baptists, and militant nations), militant raids and attacks, militant movements and protests, militant approaches and policies, militant beliefs and attitudes, militant frugality, militant cleanliness, etc. And, you can say that someone is militant in something or militant in doing something: "he's militant in that belief," "she's militant in her resistance," "they're militant in this campaign," "we're militant in protecting this secret." examples: Her opponents tried to brand her as a militant, distorting her views and exaggerating her role in the culture wars. "I spent two and a half years [in Chester County], in between the September 11th attacks and the financial crisis, when the country felt both prosperous and militantly self-assured."    —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 June 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "militant" without saying "combative" or "gladiatorial." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I wouldn't want _____ for myself, but I'm not militantly opposed to (it or them)." Example: "I wouldn't want a tattoo for myself, but I'm not militantly opposed to them." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "Sleek Slogans." I'll take a familiar slogan from a company or a product, express that slogan in plain language, and tell you the specific qualities the slogan has (like rhyme or alliteration), and then you come up with the real slogan as well as the name of the company or product. From the previous issue: Rewrite this slogan by using a near rhyme (a pair of words that almost rhyme, as in "leave" and "beef"), alliteration (repeated sounds, as in "vim and vigor"), and personification (giving a human trait to something that's not human, as in "angry rains"): "Take a trip on our airline, and enjoy a warm, kind customer service experience." Answer: That's a slogan for United Airlines: "Fly the friendly skies."  Try this one today: Rewrite this slogan by using repetition, concision (the use of as few words as possible), and onomatopoeia (words that actually sound like what they mean): "Drive our vehicles, and enjoy the sound they make." review today's word: 1. A close opposite of MILITANT is A. COMPLIANT. B. COWARDLY. C. EFFECTIVE. 2. The poem evokes militancy with phrases like _____ A. "ghost-ridden crossroads" and "the edge of dread." B. "one death-blow" and "the monsters we defy." C. "lust of adventure" and "flutter and flaunt." Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B