as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
the player became quite belligerent and was thrown out of the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in combatant
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belligerent
Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 2 June 2025
Being caught between a belligerent and unrestrained nuclear power (Israel) and a hostile neighbor (Iran) severely undercuts Gulf visions of national development and global interconnectedness.
—Hasan T. Alhasan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2025
Fittingly, the music is intense, darkly funny, frequently beautiful, absurd, sometimes frightening, belligerent, angry, crazy.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2025
When someone has high drive and integrity that are not balanced by other character dimensions, these strengths can become dictatorial, forceful, uncompromising, belligerent, rigid, and dogmatic, among others.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Noun
More stories have since come out about Majors being cruel and belligerent on other sets, which Majors has denied.
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 2 June 2025
Being caught between a belligerent and unrestrained nuclear power (Israel) and a hostile neighbor (Iran) severely undercuts Gulf visions of national development and global interconnectedness.
—Hasan T. Alhasan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2025
Fittingly, the music is intense, darkly funny, frequently beautiful, absurd, sometimes frightening, belligerent, angry, crazy.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2025
When someone has high drive and integrity that are not balanced by other character dimensions, these strengths can become dictatorial, forceful, uncompromising, belligerent, rigid, and dogmatic, among others.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerent
Adjective
-
In addition to doing his job defensively, Garcia was aggressive in pushing up from his spot at left back and getting involved in the offensive attack.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Justifying his aggressive actions, Trump claimed without evidence that D.C.'s crime data was falsified to downplay the severity of the issue.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up around half of those killed.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Aug. 2025
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Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Palestinian militant group also abducted more than 250 hostages.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
-
Now, that was never actually true, and certainly on January 6th, when a lot of the members of these militant groups went to the Capitol and attacked police officers, injuring more than 100 of them, their love for law enforcement was not genuine.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In one of the most tragic stories from Persian mythology, the legendary warrior Rostam unknowingly kills his own son, Sohrab, in battle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
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In 2004, two 6-foot-tall statues of Chinese soldiers — a gift from sister city Xi’an, and replicas of some of the 7,000 life-sized terra cotta warriors found at the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang — were installed at the north end of the bridge.—
Eric Adler
August 17,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The climate for filmmakers looking to interrogate the Russian war effort remains hostile.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The president’s hostile, but at times confusing, remarks over the last several days have put the city on edge as leaders condemned the plan as unnecessary and dangerous.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs said the eight civilians were released alongside soldiers and other security force members.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
24 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, 2,279 National Guard soldiers and airmen from Washington, D.C., and six states are already mobilized in the capital, having completed training, according to a Joint Task Force spokesperson.—
Michael Dorgan , Jacqui Heinrich , Liz Friden,
FOXNews.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hours earlier, the motorcycle was traveling south when a gray Chevrolet pickup truck, which was traveling north on Krome Avenue, tried to turn left near 500 SW 177th Ave., troopers say.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
24 Aug. 2025
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State troopers responded to the 38 mile marker of Fan Hollow Cove in Camden County around 12:15 a.m. following a reported drowning.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Still entombed in the ice is the wreckage of the military plane—along with the bodies of 32 servicemen—that Arnold was searching for in 1947.—
Mike Bezemek,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 July 2025
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In 2014, four Air Force servicemen were killed after a flock of Canadian geese reportedly flew through their helicopter’s windshield, knocking the pilot and copilot unconscious.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belligerent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerent. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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