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

Perhaps no side could have matched the double reigning world champions in such brilliantly belligerent mood.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

If he weren’t so visibly exhausted, he’d probably be a lot more belligerent.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

As Scotland's most belligerent ball carrier, it would enhance their chances if he is physically able to make an impact.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

In 2016’s The Mandibles, she created a character whom she described as a “pure piss-take” of herself: belligerent, tactless, a maniacal exerciser–the Ur-Boomer, utterly self-absorbed and an unalloyed financial disaster for society.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026

Pigeons could be made to look like roosters and peacocks, and dogs made short-haired, long-haired, pied, piebald, bowlegged, hairless, crop-tailed, vicious, mild-mannered, diffident, guarded, belligerent.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

It has also co-opted the economy, so that Sudan’s many riches bankroll the belligerents even as most Sudanese are impoverished.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

While there are few legal limits for killing belligerents in wartime, she said, civilians suspected of crimes should be captured and prosecuted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

"I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon," Macron wrote on X after speaking with both leaders.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

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

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 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