1
as in combative
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a kindergarten teacher who discourages aggressive behavior, like pushing, by rewarding those children who wait their turn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambitious
having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal
if you don't take a more aggressive approach to this yard pretty soon, the weeds are going to take over completely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in violent
marked by or uttered with forcefulness
the team's game strategy depends on a very aggressive style of defense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aggressive
Grant was diagnosed in July 2024 with T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or T-All, a very aggressive blood cancer.
—
Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
The Magic maintained a 59-51 lead at half, but Boston pulled even early in the third after Minott drew a foul on an aggressive crash, and Pritchard picked Bane’s pocket and canned a three.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The arresting officer belongs to the Atlanta Police Department’s controversial Crime Suppression Unit—a group known for its aggressive tactics and emphasis on high arrest numbers rather than genuine public safety.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 8 Nov. 2025
Joe first announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones in May, via his personal office.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aggressive
Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
The Magic maintained a 59-51 lead at half, but Boston pulled even early in the third after Minott drew a foul on an aggressive crash, and Pritchard picked Bane’s pocket and canned a three.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The arresting officer belongs to the Atlanta Police Department’s controversial Crime Suppression Unit—a group known for its aggressive tactics and emphasis on high arrest numbers rather than genuine public safety.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 8 Nov. 2025
Joe first announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones in May, via his personal office.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aggressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggressive
Adjective
-
Reiner joined the writers’ room, an orderly place at first but eventually the loudest, most combative fourteen-by-twenty enclave in New York.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
And after combative floor debates throughout the afternoon, Democrats blocked the advancement of a GOP bill to pay federal workers and military personnel during government shutdowns.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Federal officials decided to fund an ambitious megaproject to sequence all human genes.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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China’s ambitious plan to build the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), a multibillion-dollar project aimed at creating the world’s largest particle collider, is likely to be officially stalled after it was not included in the country’s next five-year plan.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Rising number of violent incidents, 911 calls But reducing the inmate population did not solve the problem with drugs and violence.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Nov. 2025
-
After Maggie and Paul were shot to death on June 7, 2021, Alex was found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, earning two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
There are guns, horses, ghosts, a primal struggle for survival in hostile terrain, family feuds and a steadily intensifying sense of mortal threat, as Old Porch’s ambition and psychopathy escalate the drama.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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Fire department suffering low morale When Washington was fired, City Manager Sheryl Long blamed him for creating a hostile work environment for female firefighters and for failing to improve the department's workplace culture.—
Aaron Valdez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In intra-party diplo-speak, that was about as fierce a burn as can come from the party’s central committee.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Nov. 2025
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The city’s fierce weather pattern is fueled by the same Arctic air mass expected to sweep through the eastern two-thirds of the US this week.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
After months of vigorous growth, regular watering has leached out any soil nutrients that were not absorbed by plant roots.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
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Our system was built to encourage vigorous give-and-take and to move final decisions toward the middle.—
The Detroit News Editorial Board,
Twin Cities,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The permits that both companies have received to test and operate their self-driving vehicles became a contentious issue in the lead up to the listings.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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The three faced off in two contentious debates in October, in which Mamdani and Cuomo sparred over issues of integrity and experience while Sliwa sought to paint them as two sides of the same ideological coin.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Even leaving these facts aside, neither the doctrinaire socialism nor militant Islam have ever improved any place on earth, and New York City will not be the first.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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He was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group in Gaza allied with Hamas which also held Israeli hostages during the war.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aggressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggressive. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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