belligerent

adjective

bel·​lig·​er·​ent bə-ˈlij--ˈli-jə-rənt 

-ˈlij-

1

: inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness

2

: waging war

specifically : belonging to or recognized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war

belligerent noun

belligerently adverb

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Belligerent, Belligerents, and Belligerence

Belligerent may function as either an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, it has two primary meanings, each of which corresponds to the two senses of its noun form.

The older sense (“waging war”) is generally used to refer to the actions or combatants of a nation at war, or to the nation itself ("belligerent operations"; "belligerent troops"; “the belligerent state”); it is paralleled by the earliest sense of the noun, “a nation at war” (“the belligerents assembled at the peace conference”). The second sense of belligerent (“inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness”), which usually applies to persons or animals, or to their attitudes or actions, likewise parallels the second sense of the noun (“a person taking part in a fight”). A related noun belligerence refers to “an aggressive or truculent attitude, atmosphere, or disposition” that can be either individual or global.

Synonyms

• aggressive
• militant
• hostile

Choose the Right Synonym for belligerent

belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious, quarrelsome, contentious mean having an aggressive or fighting attitude.

belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

Examples of belligerent in a Sentence

… it took very little alcohol to make him belligerent, and he became even more thuggish and incoherent when he threw in a few sleeping pills as well. —Christopher Hitchens, New York Times Book Review, 8 Oct. 2000

Coots are belligerent, territorial, quick-tempered birds. Nothing irritates a coot like another coot … —Kenneth Brower, Smithsonian, December 1998

Instead, we revered the guys on the streets, the thugs who were brazen and belligerent. They wore their hats backwards, left their belt buckles unfastened and shoelaces untied. —Nathan McCall, Washington Post, 25-31 Mar. 1991

She was a brigantine, a small two-masted vessel, refitted for belligerent action in the newly created American Navy. —Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988

He was drunk and belligerent.

the player became quite belligerent and was thrown out of the game

Recent Examples on the Web

European powers had withdrawn the crew’s belligerent status, and the new American president, Andrew Johnson, had excluded them from the general amnesty offered to Confederate soldiers. —Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025

On Tuesday, Trump adopted his most belligerent stance yet on Iran in a series of social media posts. —Niall Stanage, The Hill, 17 June 2025

Iranians have been outspoken inside the country and across an ever-growing diaspora against the Islamic Republic’s human-rights abuses, constriction of personal freedoms, economic mismanagement, and belligerent foreign policy. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

The Iranian regime’s utter ineptitude is matched by a record of belligerent action and rhetoric. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

modification of Latin belligerant-, belligerans, present participle of belligerare to wage war, from belliger waging war, from bellum war + gerere to wage

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for belligerent

• refrigerant

Kids Definition

belligerent

adjective

bel·​lig·​er·​ent bə-ˈlij(-ə)-rənt 

1

: waging war

belligerent nations

2

: eager to or showing eagerness to fight

belligerent remarks

belligerent noun

belligerently adverb

Legal Definition

belligerent

1 of 2 adjective

bel·​lig·​er·​ent bə-ˈli-jə-rənt 

1

: waging war : carrying on war

specifically : belonging to or recognized as an organized military power protected by and subject to the laws of war

2

: inclined to or exhibiting hostility or a combative temperament

belligerent

2 of 2 noun

: a belligerent nation, state, or person