pugnacious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pugnacious
First recorded in 1635–45; pugnaci(ty) (from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx combative (akin to pugil; see pugilism) + -tās -ty 2 ) + -ous
Explanation
Pugnacious means ready for a fight. If you're pugnacious, you might find it hard to make friends. On the other hand, you might be a very successful professional boxer one day. Your brother is a pugnacious thug — always ready to use his fists to settle arguments, and he has the strength to do so. That’s the literal sense of pugnacious. You can use pugnacious figuratively, too. When two candidates face off in a debate during a close election, one or the other might be pugnacious. He looks to pick a fight with his opponent and is willing to say almost anything, no matter how outrageous, to make his opponent look bad.
Vocabulary lists containing pugnacious
Of Mice and Men
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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.
Raymond was responsible for a pugnacious, no-surrender style that became Exxon’s signature, whether it was in negotiations with federal authorities over the Exxon Valdez cleanup or with foreign nations over contract disputes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Gulbadin Naib had earlier provided the backbone of Afghanistan's 182-6 with a pugnacious 63 off 35 balls.
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026
In addition, Mr. Denton’s delivery ranges from pugnacious to hostile and in contrast to all the suave vampires around him, Guy is a consistently unpleasant human.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Some even agreed with Kari Lake, the pugnacious advisor Trump appointed to oversee the Agency for Global Media, which provides funding for news programming abroad.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2025
He had help in this effort from several people, including publisher Louis Austin, who, though aging and in ill health, was as pugnacious as ever.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
