as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a movie reviewer who is spirited, even pugnacious, when defending her opinions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pugnacious
My room, tricked out in shades of mushroom, opened onto a hallway covered in its original wallpaper, depicting a sea battle complete with roiling water, boats full of pugnacious sailors, and, in the background, a dusky landscape of ancient ruins.
—
Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2025
Some even agreed with Kari Lake, the pugnacious advisor Trump appointed to oversee the Agency for Global Media, which provides funding for news programming abroad.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
By then, though, Orbán was governing as a pugnacious ultranationalist.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The past three years have seen Eddie Howe and his staff transform them into one of the more pugnacious and potent threats in the Premier League.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2025
Some even agreed with Kari Lake, the pugnacious advisor Trump appointed to oversee the Agency for Global Media, which provides funding for news programming abroad.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
By then, though, Orbán was governing as a pugnacious ultranationalist.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The past three years have seen Eddie Howe and his staff transform them into one of the more pugnacious and potent threats in the Premier League.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugnacious
Adjective
-
The 82-year-old was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer among men, with 1 in 8 being diagnosed in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.—
Sam Woodward,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
-
Nonprofits focused on such issues could be seen as antagonistic to the company’s aggressive commercialization efforts.—
Hayden Field,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Saturday's summit comes two months after Israel ended a ceasefire reached with the Hamas militant group in January.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
-
Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
The game is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET and Pacers fans are sure to bring the energy and create a hostile atmosphere for New York.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
-
Some of countries in the continent that are rich in uranium, such as Niger and Gabon, may be delicate or difficult to deal with in the near term as both underwent military coups recently, with Niger turning hostile toward the French and more toward the Russians.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
This is a flawed sin; trying to make something happen in a contentious area with a bunch of people who had their own history.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2025
-
On contentious problems like TikTok’s status in America, Trump has already bucked political orthodoxy, delaying a ban repeatedly to convince China to allow its sale.—
J. Tedford Tyler,
Time,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugnacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugnacious. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share