as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
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Recent Examples of combative
Under his leadership, the department cultivated a sense of independence that could be combative.
—
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
In the hopes of avoiding that scrutiny, the university renamed websites and job titles, all while dealing with pressure from students, faculty and staff who wanted the school to take a more combative stance.
—Byron Tau, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
The controversy has also become an opportunity for the national Democratic party to demonstrate a more combative style to supporters amid new struggles to engage voters and raise money.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Based on interviews conducted by journalist Peter Evans, who was engaged in the late 1980s to write Gardner’s memoirs, the play reanimates the combative and complex conversations between the two.
—Rebecca Bihn-Wallace, Vogue, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
In the hopes of avoiding that scrutiny, the university renamed websites and job titles, all while dealing with pressure from students, faculty and staff who wanted the school to take a more combative stance.
—Byron Tau, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
The controversy has also become an opportunity for the national Democratic party to demonstrate a more combative style to supporters amid new struggles to engage voters and raise money.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Based on interviews conducted by journalist Peter Evans, who was engaged in the late 1980s to write Gardner’s memoirs, the play reanimates the combative and complex conversations between the two.
—Rebecca Bihn-Wallace, Vogue, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combative
Adjective
-
Mid-summer changes to United’s revolving credit facility indicated a switch in strategy, and there was a more aggressive approach in the market following a summit in Iceland between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The occurrences grew more aggressive over time, with the Smurls' 75-pound German shepherd getting slammed into a wall and Jack getting attacked while praying.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Jeffrey Breinholt, an architect of the material support statutes who spent three decades as a federal terrorism prosecutor, defends the laws as crucial to closing loopholes that were exploited by foreign militant groups and their domestic sympathizers.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Lellouche stars as unlikely hero Zem, a disillusioned Zone 3 cop with an idealistic militant past, who is teamed with haughty, high-flying Zone 2 officer Salia, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, after a leading politician is assassinated in Zone 1.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels for electricity.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter took it as a hostile act and approached Prescott, meeting face-to-face with him.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The contentious issue, which was regarded as a momentous turning point when it was adopted by the European Union in 2023, has been a hot topic at the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich this week.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
-
One of those was his contentious divorce with his first wife Denise Richards.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The arrest took place after the reality star apparently spent the days prior sharing a series of increasingly confrontational posts to her Instagram, which allegedly doxxed her friends and family members.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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This is the polar opposite of, say, a project designed to be controversial, confrontational and put TIFF on the defensive.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combative. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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