1
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a congenital truculence that resulted in his spending a significant amount of time in the principal's office
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the sergeant's truculence was revealed when she made the recruits run even further in the heat
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of truculence
Musk reacted to McCormick’s ruling with characteristic truculence.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
And finally, a new series of jolts: a pandemic that wrought havoc on world supply chains; China’s lockdowns at home and its truculence toward Western trading partners critical of its policies; and the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such as rising energy and food costs.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2023
Repression at home produces truculence abroad.
—Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng opened the door to such a meeting after months of diplomatic outbursts from Beijing, where the truculence of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been matched by military saber-rattling and a crackdown in Hong Kong.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for truculence
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
And finally, a new series of jolts: a pandemic that wrought havoc on world supply chains; China’s lockdowns at home and its truculence toward Western trading partners critical of its policies; and the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such as rising energy and food costs.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2023
Repression at home produces truculence abroad.
—Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng opened the door to such a meeting after months of diplomatic outbursts from Beijing, where the truculence of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been matched by military saber-rattling and a crackdown in Hong Kong.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for truculence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truculence
Noun
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Americans lacked a sense of urgency about Nazi aggression.—
Tamar Jacoby,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Related article Ukraine’s European allies say Russian aggression is pushing peace out of reach, as US envoy meets Putin The new administration has opened multiple channels to Moscow, following three years of diplomatic isolation.—
Andrew Carey and Victoria Butenko,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Woodland police detectives on Tuesday arrested Christian Jacobo, 22, on suspicion of murder and willful cruelty toward a child causing death, police officials said in a Friday news release.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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But what’s even creepier is Remmick’s invitation to the holdouts to join them, promising an escape from dehumanizing cruelty into a fellowship that offers an eternal life of freedom and enlightenment.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Remick is the defendant in two active police brutality lawsuits.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
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Prosecutors said Mahdi constantly used brutality to solve his problems.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Stolarz’s inclination to shout instructions at teammates on the ice, often with serious levels of hostility in the name of competition, comes to him naturally.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Datta writes that Indians had faced violent treatment at the hands of Japanese forces, even if the Chinese community bore the brunt of the Japanese hostility.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And yet, the core of the brand—the audacity, the punk defiance, the challenge to authority—remains intact.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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His passing closes a chapter on one of the most notorious sagas in internet history, leaving behind a complex legacy of entrepreneurship, controversy, and defiance.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truculence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truculence. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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