Synonyms of pugnacious

pugnacious

adjective

ˌpəg-ˈnā-shəs 

as in aggressive

feeling or displaying eagerness to fight

a movie reviewer who is spirited, even pugnacious, when defending her opinions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aggressive
• militant
• hostile
• contentious
• irritable
• belligerent
• feisty
• combative
• confrontational
• assaultive
• bellicose
• warlike
• ugly
• fierce
• acidic
• truculent
• quarrelsome
• agonistic
• argumentative
• disputatious
• scrappy
• vicious
• savage
• gladiatorial
• chippy
• rude
• brawly
• antagonistic
• discordant
• irascible
• on the warpath
• ornery
• petulant
• disagreeable
• peevish
• cross
• snappish
• querulous
• fighting
• fretful
• waspish
• surly
• bilious
• hot-tempered
• grumpy
• choleric
• fractious
• grouchy
• dyspeptic
• testy
• bristly
• warring
• ill-tempered
• pettish
• huffy
• touchy
• crabby
• stroppy
• battling
• ill-humored
• ill-natured
• cranky
• prickly
• bearish
• snappy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peaceable
• peaceful
• nonaggressive
• pacific
• amiable
• friendly
• pleasant
• unwarlike
• affable
• benevolent
• gracious
• good-natured
• conciliatory
• easygoing
• genial
• cordial
• amicable
• uncontentious
• sociable
• nonbelligerent
• complaisant
• ingratiating
• quiet
• calm
• kindhearted
• obliging
• uncombative
• unbelligerent
• serene
• tranquil
• mild
• gentle
• benign
• relaxed
• good-tempered
• antimilitarist
• anti-imperialist
• kindly

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pugnacious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of pugnacious are bellicose, belligerent, contentious, and quarrelsome. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

In what contexts can bellicose take the place of pugnacious?

The synonyms bellicose and pugnacious are sometimes interchangeable, but bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

When would belligerent be a good substitute for pugnacious?

While the synonyms belligerent and pugnacious are close in meaning, belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

Where would contentious be a reasonable alternative to pugnacious?

Although the words contentious and pugnacious have much in common, contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

When is it sensible to use quarrelsome instead of pugnacious?

The meanings of quarrelsome and pugnacious largely overlap; however, quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of pugnacious

The normally pugnacious Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe. —Jill Colvin, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2024

Sebastian Stan plays a young Trump rising to power in the New York real estate world under the lascivious mentorship of pugnacious power broker Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2024

The pugnacious owner even claimed to have gotten into a fistfight with Dodgers fans in an elevator in the Hyatt Wilshire Hotel in 1981 after the Dodgers won three straight in L.A. to take the lead in the World Series 3-2. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

She is widely regarded as a pragmatist who lacks the charisma, oratory skills and pugnacious nature of the outgoing populist president. —Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024

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