as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
the player became quite belligerent and was thrown out of the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in combatant
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belligerent
Michael Thomas, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
Another man told the belligerent passenger not to speak disrespectfully to women.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
The entire message was couched in the language of patriotism — but a belligerent, us-versus-them version of it.
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Twin Cities, 16 July 2025
No, the worst Christopher Reeve Superman film is not the embarrassing Cannon Films installment but rather the one featuring a world-class comedian, a woman turning into a computer, and a terrific junkyard battle between Clark Kent and his belligerent jerk doppelganger.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Noun
Everyone seemed white, and every man other than the fathers and the very old seemed belligerent.
—Michael Thomas, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
Another man told the belligerent passenger not to speak disrespectfully to women.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
The entire message was couched in the language of patriotism — but a belligerent, us-versus-them version of it.
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Twin Cities, 16 July 2025
No, the worst Christopher Reeve Superman film is not the embarrassing Cannon Films installment but rather the one featuring a world-class comedian, a woman turning into a computer, and a terrific junkyard battle between Clark Kent and his belligerent jerk doppelganger.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerent
Adjective
-
Increasing widespread episodes of violence, threats and aggressive behaviors are taking a toll on nurses, doctors and medical staff, according to the study.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
-
The corporation counsel must be aggressive in going after companies that cheat city laws.—
Harvey Epstein,
New York Daily News,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
24 July 2025
-
Police responded quickly, separated the combatants and cleared the section.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group's soldiers launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Trump has been uniquely willing to break with Israel on many issues—for instance, by making deals with the Houthi militant group in Yemen and opening a diplomatic dialogue with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, despite his past alignment with al-Qaeda.—
ZAHA HASSAN,
Foreign Affairs,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
By the time Dragon Ball Super rolls around, Goku is fighting cosmic gods in his quest to save the world and become the strongest warrior in existence.—
Chris Snellgrove,
EW.com,
29 July 2025
-
The party’s antitrust warriors may be marginalized, but there’s one space where personnel really has become policy: AI and crypto regulation.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
Five days later, on July 8, an attorney for the city manager submitted a letter of potential claim against the city citing defamation, harassment and creation of a hostile work environment.—
Anita Edmondson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 July 2025
-
In early October 2022, the ruling said, McCarty filed a hostile work environment complaint with the police department.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
What may have been a Roman soldier's monthly paycheck has emerged from under the ground, officials announced this month.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
-
An action-adventure flick directed by J.C. Chandor for Netflix, Triple Frontier follows a group of former special-ops soldiers who — feeling financially undervalued for their years spent in military service — decide to get what's rightfully theirs by robbing a drug lord.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
Abbott is also seeking $3.62 billion to defray costs for the National Guard deployment and $2.25 billion for the cost of keeping DPS troopers at the border.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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In surveys of members conducted with more than 75% participation, more than 90% of command officers and 98% of troopers expressed non-confidence in Grady and his controversial choice as the MSP's chief deputy director, Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe, the unions announced in June.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for shipbuilding, munitions systems, and quality-of-life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
-
Pray for the American servicemen and women who are in harms way.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belligerent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerent. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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