as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the dominant male wolf was able to withstand the belligerence of younger challengers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belligerence
The belligerence coming from Washington right now makes the post-9/11 noise from the Bush 43 crowd come off as restrained.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Ramírez arrived in Amman at the moment when the fedayeen groups were at the height of their power and belligerence, and the kingdom was teetering on the brink of all-out conflict.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The encounter by Canadian aircraft monitoring these vessels with Chinese aircraft points to both Beijing’s backing of the secretive state and its belligerence in the wider region.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
At the same time, observers in Washington and Seoul have become hopeful that growing public support in South Korea for developing an independent nuclear deterrent might provide Beijing with another compelling reason to renew its efforts to restrain the North’s belligerence.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerence
Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Ramírez arrived in Amman at the moment when the fedayeen groups were at the height of their power and belligerence, and the kingdom was teetering on the brink of all-out conflict.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The encounter by Canadian aircraft monitoring these vessels with Chinese aircraft points to both Beijing’s backing of the secretive state and its belligerence in the wider region.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
At the same time, observers in Washington and Seoul have become hopeful that growing public support in South Korea for developing an independent nuclear deterrent might provide Beijing with another compelling reason to renew its efforts to restrain the North’s belligerence.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerence
Noun
-
Kyiv fears that Moscow could use that territory as a launchpad for further aggression.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
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Unfortunately, the quality of the program was low and resulted in rising aggression and behavior issues among children, especially boys, and hurt parental relationships.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Colorado’s aggressiveness with trading away draft picks and prospects to help the NHL club’s pursuit of a Stanley Cup has often left the organization’s pipeline thin, but also provides opportunities for undrafted players like Logan O’Connor and Sam Malinski to earn chances and thrive.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Frost have played well with aggressiveness and their speed on the ice all season.—
Theodore Tollefson,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Iran war has entered its fifth week with hostilities escalating across the region.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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After all, a bit more than a decade later, hostilities would explode anew in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, during which Nasser shut the canal again.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belligerence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerence. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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