belligerent
Americanadjective
-
warlike; given to waging war.
-
of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose.
a belligerent tone.
- Synonyms:
- contentious, antagonistic, quarrelsome, combative, truculent, pugnacious
-
waging war; engaged in war.
a peace treaty between belligerent powers.
-
pertaining to war or to those engaged in war.
belligerent rights.
noun
-
belligerents
plural
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a state or nation at war.
-
a member of the military forces of such a state.
adjective
-
marked by readiness to fight or argue; aggressive
a belligerent tone
-
relating to or engaged in a legally recognized war or warfare
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing belligerent
List 3
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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A Wrinkle in Time
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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.
See Examples For:
Given how belligerent Canada’s southern neighbor has been lately, it feels defiant now too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
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
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
Old Stew might rant, he might take you by the collar, become belligerent, even stumble on the stairs when going to sleep, but none of it was a surprise.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
"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
Navy began escorting ships to protect them as both belligerents attacked oil industry assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
