belligerent

American  

[buh-lij-er-uhnt] / bəˈlɪdʒ ər ənt /

adjective

1. 

   warlike; given to waging war.

2. of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose.

   a belligerent tone.

   Synonyms:

   contentious, antagonistic, quarrelsome, combative, truculent, pugnacious

3. waging war; engaged in war.

   a peace treaty between belligerent powers.

4. pertaining to war or to those engaged in war.

   belligerent rights.

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noun

• belligerents
  plural

1. a state or nation at war.

2. a member of the military forces of such a state.

belligerent British  

/ bɪˈlɪdʒərənt /

adjective

1. marked by readiness to fight or argue; aggressive

   a belligerent tone

2. relating to or engaged in a legally recognized war or warfare

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noun

1. a person or country engaged in fighting or war

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interbelligerent
  adjective
• unbelligerent
  adjective
• belligerently
  adverb
• unbelligerently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• belligerents
  plural

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”; cf. duel ( def. )) + ger(ere) “to carry, conduct, display”

Explanation

If someone is belligerent, they're eager to fight. It's a good idea to avoid hardcore hockey fans after their team loses — they tend to be belligerent. Belligerent comes from the Latin word bellum, for "war." You can use it to talk about actual wars — the nations taking part in a war are called belligerents — but usually belligerent describes a psychological disposition. If you're running a school for aggressive boys, do plenty of arts and crafts to prevent them from becoming too belligerent. The stress is on the second syllable: bə-LIJ-ə-rənt.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

belligerent belligerents

France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft-carrier battle group has been deployed to the region as part of the French-U.K.-led mission, but French officials say they don’t want belligerent parties, including the U.S., involved in its operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

The scientists watching this schism aren’t sure why things became so belligerent.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026

Lescure, the French finance minister who chaired a gathering of G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors on Thursday, said the seven countries were in agreement on the belligerent power in the Middle East: Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Colombo would follow the Hague Convention, the official added, noting it says that "a neutral power which receives on its territory troops belonging to the belligerent armies shall intern them".

From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026

The more questions that were asked, the more Bobby became belligerent.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Mecca, nestled in Saudi Arabia’s western mountains, is within range of Iranian missiles and drones, but it is far from the locus of fighting in the Persian Gulf and generally considered off-limits by the belligerents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

Perhaps the belligerents realized that attacking this critical infrastructure threatened to create a catastrophic humanitarian disaster.

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026

"Canada reaffirms that international law binds all belligerents," he said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026

But here are some of the ways that the belligerents would like it to end.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026

The facts were clear to all belligerents: the final conquest would come from the sky.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• aggressive
• antagonistic
• bellicose
• combative
• contentious
• hostile
• ornery
• quarrelsome