as in belligerent
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Recent Examples of trigger-happy
The trigger-happy tradition to shoot guns in the air at midnight on New Years Eve has gone on for decades.
—
Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
With concern solidifying around Mexico’s role as a pipeline for Chinese products, the president-elect may have another reason to adopt a trigger-happy stance on duties—and a review of USMCA.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The screenplay even pays tribute to the island’s anti-fascist heritage with an elderly, trigger-happy partisan shooting from her balcony and singing Communist songs with the Mayor.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Dancing next to the procession of kids and the trigger-happy xylophone infant.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
On the other hand, post-Soviet Russia’s nuclear strategy seemed more trigger-happy than before.
—Olga Oliker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2018
Add to the mix the trigger-happy culture of hiring and firing traders, and the hunt for clever managers is as important as stellar returns and raising cash.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
He’s been a renegade sheriff in The Hateful Eight, an outlaw on Justified, a Navy SEAL on Six and a trigger-happy train robber in Shanghai Noon — but Fallout marks the first time he’s been two versions of one cowboy.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 June 2024
As played by Paul Newman, William Bonney is a trigger-happy hothead who’s more misunderstood than evil.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2024
Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
With concern solidifying around Mexico’s role as a pipeline for Chinese products, the president-elect may have another reason to adopt a trigger-happy stance on duties—and a review of USMCA.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The screenplay even pays tribute to the island’s anti-fascist heritage with an elderly, trigger-happy partisan shooting from her balcony and singing Communist songs with the Mayor.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Dancing next to the procession of kids and the trigger-happy xylophone infant.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
On the other hand, post-Soviet Russia’s nuclear strategy seemed more trigger-happy than before.
—Olga Oliker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2018
Add to the mix the trigger-happy culture of hiring and firing traders, and the hunt for clever managers is as important as stellar returns and raising cash.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
He’s been a renegade sheriff in The Hateful Eight, an outlaw on Justified, a Navy SEAL on Six and a trigger-happy train robber in Shanghai Noon — but Fallout marks the first time he’s been two versions of one cowboy.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 June 2024
As played by Paul Newman, William Bonney is a trigger-happy hothead who’s more misunderstood than evil.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trigger-happy
Adjective
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Advertisement In a belligerent California landscape only provisionally tamed by human hands, fire is an inevitability.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2025
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North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has taken a more belligerent stand in world politics during the Biden administration, abandoning its Trump-era defensive posture in favor of active cooperation with its few allies.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Even in the courtroom drama, Basso showed his gusto for physical realism by incorporating signs of fighting damage for his pugnacious but legally innocent character.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
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Detroit has been pugnacious, shouldering a bevy of recent critical injuries to its defense.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The United States and China appear destined for a military conflict, with bellicose rhetoric on both sides, an escalating arms race and Beijing widely considered the most serious threat to the U.S. since the Cold War.—
Brad Dress,
The Hill,
7 Jan. 2025
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Through bellicose rhetoric and impulsive actions, Washington might provoke crises similar to that which followed the 2022 visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House, when China responded to U.S. provocation by stepping up its military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait.—
Yan Xuetong,
Foreign Affairs,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Shortly after the beatdown, video footage leaked online showing the combative artist lying on the ground while being jabbed and stomped.—
Marc Griffin,
VIBE.com,
17 Jan. 2025
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Some warnings have cited Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric, willingness to undermine or malign institutions meant to constrain any president, and a combative style that strives to stretch executive power as far as possible.—
Victor Menaldo,
The Conversation,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
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Some characters die violently in a warlike atmosphere, and the remaining ones struggle with their losses.—
Common Sense Media,
Washington Post,
12 July 2024
Adjective
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With how aggressive Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has been on fourth down, Fangio has to treat third down like second down.—
Ted Nguyen,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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An aggressive exterior, with more aero and venting, hints at the performance potential within.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Three Israeli hostages were released to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday following a ceasefire deal between Israel and the militant group Hamas.—
Rachel Scully,
The Hill,
19 Jan. 2025
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In any case, the militant Islamist group is no longer the same organization that launched the October 7, 2023, massacre.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Giorgia’s leadership is threatened by increasingly truculent government allies, so Arianna is overseeing the backroom process of reverting their post-Fascist party to its more tribal roots.—
Mattia Ferraresi,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
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Is some planet somewhere pulling in the wrong direction, like a truculent mule?—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
24 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near trigger-happy
Cite this Entry
“Trigger-happy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trigger-happy. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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