aggressor

noun

ag·​gres·​sor ə-ˈgre-sər 

: one that commits or practices aggression

Synonyms

• invader
• raider

Examples of aggressor in a Sentence

Each country accused the other of being the aggressor.

a group of smaller states had formed an alliance to deter potential aggressors

Recent Examples on the Web

In a social media post on April 14, Zelenskyy said that Russia, as the aggressor in the war, should be forced into peace talks. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025

One need only note the widening acceptance of the absurd lie that Ukraine is at fault for the unprovoked Russian invasion of its land or that NATO has been the historical aggressor. —Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025

The human aggressors in Princess Mononoke are greedy and misguided, but are also capable of great empathy. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Back then, the fiction that Russia wasn’t an aggressor or party to the conflict, along with insufficient pressure on Moscow in the form of sanctions or the provision of lethal military supplies to Ukraine, ultimately meant Minsk never addressed the root cause of the conflict. —Clare Sebastian, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, "attacker, assailant," from aggredī, adgredī "to approach, attack" + -tor, agent suffix — more at aggress

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aggressor

• assessor
• compressor
• confessor
• depressor
• hairdresser
• necessar
• oppressor
• possessor
• processor
• professor
• repressor
• successor

Kids Definition

aggressor

noun

ag·​gres·​sor ə-ˈgres-ər 

: a person or country that attacks without reasonable cause

Medical Definition

aggressor

noun

ag·​gres·​sor ə-ˈgres-ər 

: one who exhibits aggression