aggressive
Americanadjective
-
characterized by or tending toward unprovoked offensives, attacks, invasions, or the like; militantly forward or menacing.
aggressive acts against a neighboring country.
- Synonyms:
- militant, pugnacious
- Antonyms:
- friendly
-
making an all-out effort to win or succeed; competitive.
an aggressive basketball player.
- Synonyms:
- assertive, enterprising, forceful
-
vigorously energetic, especially in the use of initiative and forcefulness.
an aggressive salesperson.
-
boldly assertive and forward; pushy.
an aggressive driver.
-
emphasizing maximum growth and capital gains over quality, security, and income.
an aggressive mutual fund.
-
Medicine/Medical.
-
(of a disease or tumor) growing or spreading rapidly; highly invasive; difficult or impossible to treat successfully.
aggressive brain lesions.
-
pertaining to a risky surgery or treatment, or to a medication that has grave side effects.
aggressive chemotherapy.
-
-
(of a plant) spreading more rapidly than is desirable; tending to spread where not wanted.
The joe-pye weed may be too aggressive to contain in the small area you’ve designated.
adjective
-
quarrelsome or belligerent
an aggressive remark
-
assertive; vigorous
an aggressive business executive
Other Word Forms
- aggressively adverb
- aggressiveness noun
- aggressivity noun
- antiaggressive adjective
- hyperaggressive adjective
- overaggressive adjective
- overaggressiveness noun
- superaggressive adjective
- unaggressive adjective
- unaggressiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of aggressive
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Late Latin aggressīvus, derivative of Latin aggressus, past participle of aggredī “to go to, approach, attack”
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.
The study shows that aging lung cells can trigger an overly aggressive immune response, which can turn even mild infections into serious conditions.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Technically, the fund targets a mix of 65% stocks and 35% bonds, making it slightly more aggressive than some competitors.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
She is very aggressive and wants to go forward.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
So elderly individuals with a mild amount of plaque may have less aggressive treatment than a younger person with the same level, says Blankstein.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
But we had some new dogs and some of them were aggressive and insecure and wanted to fight all the time.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
