as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of combative
Cotton leaned hard on the White House to persuade, not pressure, arguing that an overly combative approach could be counterproductive for people like Young.
—
Stef W. Kight, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
Senators were alternately sympathetic and combative toward Kennedy’s views on health during his confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Jan. 2025
Under cross-examination, Ephron became combative and defensive, especially when asked about the $30 million lawsuit.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
Disclosure of the grants came the same day that Patel was grilled in a combative Senate confirmation hearing, including about his past comments praising the rioters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Stef W. Kight, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
Senators were alternately sympathetic and combative toward Kennedy’s views on health during his confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Jan. 2025
Under cross-examination, Ephron became combative and defensive, especially when asked about the $30 million lawsuit.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
Disclosure of the grants came the same day that Patel was grilled in a combative Senate confirmation hearing, including about his past comments praising the rioters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combative
Adjective
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With Oklahoma City, currently the best and most aggressive defense in the league by a wide margin, there isn’t just one candidate.—
Shane Young,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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Read more: Rams and Matthew Stafford Agree on Restructured Deal to Keep Him in LA The Raiders were reportedly the most aggressive team and had a lucrative offer on the table to land Stafford.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Hamas, which has fought Israeli troops for more than a year in its Gaza stronghold since attacking communities in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, said sending tanks showed the threats faced by Israeli troops from militant fighters in the camps.—
Raneen Sawafta and James Mackenzie,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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The militant group hoped the event would revive its battered image.—
Emmett Lindner,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In a notable thawing of tensions between Russia and the U.S., Trump even promised to visit Moscow, and said Putin would be welcome in Washington, D.C. The president has also become increasingly hostile toward Ukraine.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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China’s relentless nuclear buildup, its hostile espionage operations, its militant rhetoric, and, above all, its support for Russia suggest that Xi has already made his call and that a confrontation with the United States is inevitable.—
Sergey Radchenko,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There were several contentious incidents in this rather odd and chaotic match that had appeared as good as over with around 20 minutes left, before several late twists.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
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The intense lead-up to Crowley’s firing In the months that led up to Crowley’s removal, Bass and the city’s fire department had been engaged in a contentious back-and-forth about their immediate response to the Palisades fire.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There were no observed overt assaultive acts or movements displayed by [the man] on the video.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
18 Feb. 2025
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Even in the face of assaultive public opinion, there is nothing to add.—
Paolo Armelli,
WIRED,
1 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combative. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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