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Don't War Over the Meaning of Bellicose
Since bellicose describes an attitude that hopes for actual war, the word is generally applied to nations and their leaders. In the 20th century, it was commonly used to describe such figures as Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm, Italy's Benito Mussolini, and Japan's General Tojo, leaders who believed their countries had everything to gain by starting wars. The international relations of a nation with a bellicose foreign policy tend to be stormy and difficult, and bellicosity usually makes the rest of the world very uneasy.
Examples of bellicose in a Sentence
New Yorker, 24 June 1985
For three centuries Viking raiders haunted western Europe. The bellicose Charlemagne himself felt menaced.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
His evident calm, which always infuriated the opposition, must have irritated the bellicose colonel to a point at which he could control himself no longer.
—Michael Pearson, Those Damned Rebels, 1972
bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 15 May 2025
Trump, for all his bellicose rhetoric and military escalations, has always been deeply skeptical of getting into another major Middle Eastern war.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
Despite the positive data from 2024, Visit Seattle officials are wary of international uncertainty related to President Donald Trump’s bellicose rhetoric and imposition of tariffs.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2025
The widespread north-of-the-border outrage provoked by Trump’s bellicose rhetoric powered Carney’s Liberal Party to a stunning comeback victory over the right-wing opposition party.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Cite this Entry
“Bellicose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellicose. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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