combative
adjective
com·bat·ive
kəm-ˈba-tiv 
: marked by eagerness to fight or contend
combatively
adverb
combativeness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of combative in a Sentence
When the police tried to arrest him, he became combative.
channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
Recent Examples on the Web
The night was otherwise fairly muted for SNL, which also brought back its former mainstay Alec Baldwin as Bret Baier to mock the Fox News host’s combative interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, who was played again by Maya Rudolph.
—
Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris and Fox News anchor Bret Baier sparred throughout a combative interview Wednesday 20 days before the election.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
In recent days, Harris has sat with Charlamagne tha God, whose radio show is especially popular among younger and Black audiences, and appeared in a combative 30-minute interview on Fox News, typically a safe haven for Republicans.
—L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024
During a frequently combative interview, John Micklethwait, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg, asked Trump directly about a new book by journalist Bob Woodward that includes an unnamed aide saying the former president and Putin had spoken as many as seven times since Trump left office in 2021.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for combative 
Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris and Fox News anchor Bret Baier sparred throughout a combative interview Wednesday 20 days before the election.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
In recent days, Harris has sat with Charlamagne tha God, whose radio show is especially popular among younger and Black audiences, and appeared in a combative 30-minute interview on Fox News, typically a safe haven for Republicans.
—L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024
During a frequently combative interview, John Micklethwait, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg, asked Trump directly about a new book by journalist Bob Woodward that includes an unnamed aide saying the former president and Putin had spoken as many as seven times since Trump left office in 2021.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for combative
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'combative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near combative
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combative. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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