Synonyms of bellicose

bellicose

adjective

ˈbe-li-ˌkōs 

as in aggressive

feeling or displaying eagerness to fight

bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aggressive
• militant
• hostile
• belligerent
• warlike
• contentious
• assaultive
• irritable
• confrontational
• pugnacious
• combative
• acidic
• ugly
• truculent
• quarrelsome
• feisty
• fierce
• agonistic
• savage
• argumentative
• vicious
• disputatious
• discordant
• gladiatorial
• chippy
• scrappy
• rude
• antagonistic
• on the warpath
• brawly
• petulant
• cross
• irascible
• peevish
• querulous
• fighting
• warring
• disagreeable
• bilious
• fretful
• ornery
• dyspeptic
• testy
• snappish
• choleric
• waspish
• surly
• fractious
• grouchy
• hot-tempered
• grumpy
• pettish
• bristly
• huffy
• crabby
• ill-tempered
• stroppy
• battling
• touchy
• bearish
• ill-natured
• ill-humored
• cranky
• prickly
• snappy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peaceful
• peaceable
• nonaggressive
• pacific
• conciliatory
• unwarlike
• friendly
• amiable
• pleasant
• benevolent
• nonbelligerent
• cordial
• genial
• gracious
• good-natured
• affable
• complaisant
• ingratiating
• amicable
• easygoing
• sociable
• uncontentious
• calm
• quiet
• kindhearted
• uncombative
• unbelligerent
• serene
• obliging
• antimilitarist
• benign
• mild
• tranquil
• gentle
• anti-imperialist
• relaxed
• good-tempered
• kindly

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bellicose distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of bellicose are belligerent, contentious, pugnacious, and quarrelsome. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

Where would belligerent be a reasonable alternative to bellicose?

In some situations, the words belligerent and bellicose are roughly equivalent. However, belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

When could contentious be used to replace bellicose?

Although the words contentious and bellicose have much in common, contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

When might pugnacious be a better fit than bellicose?

The words pugnacious and bellicose can be used in similar contexts, but pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

When is quarrelsome a more appropriate choice than bellicose?

While the synonyms quarrelsome and bellicose are close in meaning, quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

Examples of bellicose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Edelstein is taking his cues from the text, though his cast sometimes struggles when the bellicose mood switches abruptly into high pathos. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024

Several other locals shared Halabi’s bellicose approach but others were too shocked and emotionally devastated to talk politics. —Cnaan Lidor, Sun Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2024

Whereas other música Mexicana acts have built massive audiences by singing about their bellicose escapades, Cornejo has made a name for himself by focusing on matters of the heart. —Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024

Rogozin, known for his bellicose but usually toothless rhetoric, threatened to halt exports of RD-180 engines for US military missions on the Atlas V. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024