belligerent
Americanadjective
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warlike; given to waging war.
-
of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose.
a belligerent tone.
- Synonyms:
- contentious, antagonistic, quarrelsome, combative, truculent, pugnacious
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waging war; engaged in war.
a peace treaty between belligerent powers.
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pertaining to war or to those engaged in war.
belligerent rights.
noun
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a state or nation at war.
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a member of the military forces of such a state.
adjective
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marked by readiness to fight or argue; aggressive
a belligerent tone
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relating to or engaged in a legally recognized war or warfare
noun
Other Word Forms
- belligerently adverb
- interbelligerent adjective
- unbelligerent adjective
- unbelligerently adverb
Etymology
Origin of belligerent
First recorded in 1570–80; earlier belligerant, from Latin belligerant-, stem of belligerāns “waging war,” present participle of belligerāre “to wage war,” verb derivative of belliger “warlike,” from belli- (combining form of bellum, earlier duellum “war”; duel ( def. ) ) + ger(ere) “to carry, conduct, display”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pezeshkian meanwhile said the success of diplomacy depended on the "goodwill of the parties involved and the abandonment of belligerent and threatening actions in the region," his office said.
From Barron's
The U-turn came after weeks of belligerent rhetoric and a vow to slap tariffs on eight European countries starting February 1 unless the autonomous territory was ceded to the United States.
From Barron's
“The original narrative was Anastasio became belligerent, they subdued him and he died,” Frey said.
From Los Angeles Times
The company collects cars around the clock, but the cover of darkness cuts the odds of encountering belligerent owners.
Most wars end with exhausted belligerents making some kind of agreement.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
