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Synonyms

pugnacious

American  
[puhg-ney-shuhs] / pʌgˈneɪ ʃəs /

adjective

  1. inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.

    Synonyms:
    bellicose, contentious, argumentative
    Antonyms:
    agreeable
pugnacious British  
/ pʌɡˈneɪʃəs, pʌɡˈnæsɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. readily disposed to fight; belligerent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • pugnaciously adverb
  • pugnaciousness noun
  • pugnacity noun
  • unpugnacious adjective
  • unpugnaciously adverb

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; pugilism ) + -tās -ty 2 ) + -ous

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.