as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
with viciously assaultive prose the writer takes on her critics
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of assaultive
But attorney Gabi Silver, who previously represented one of the men in the original case before Hartig, said the judge made the appropriate call for a low-level, non-assaultive felony case against a client with no prior criminal record.
—
Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
The effect is assaultive but clever, jolting listeners’ reflexes and then toying with their attention.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
There were no observed overt assaultive acts or movements displayed by [the man] on the video.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assaultive
Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
The effect is assaultive but clever, jolting listeners’ reflexes and then toying with their attention.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
There were no observed overt assaultive acts or movements displayed by [the man] on the video.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assaultive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaultive
Adjective
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That was a fun one, with both teams staying aggressive throughout the match.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
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That more aggressive posture has been exemplified in Lewis George's smaller jousts with the mayor over housing and public safety policies, too.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Trump’s birthday began with a new round of Israeli military strikes in Beirut, which the country said was in response to projectiles fired by the militant group Hezbollah at Israel.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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Israel’s military said the militant group launched three projectiles, releasing video in which an audible boom was followed by rising smoke.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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But if his intention is a quick rate cut, the new chairman might be entering a hostile work environment.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
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French, American, British and other naval crews already have experience of escorting civilian ships through hostile fire in the region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assaultive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaultive. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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