belligerent

adjective bel·lig·er·ent \ bə-ˈlij-rənt , -ˈli-jə- \

Definition of belligerent

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

2 :inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness

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belligerent

noun

—

belligerently

adverb

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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 coach became quite belligerent and spit at an umpire after being thrown out of the game

Recent Examples of belligerent from the Web

The contamination could also be altering the crocs' behavior, perhaps making them more belligerent.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Something is changing the sex of Costa Rican crocodiles," 30 Aug. 2017
If a recruit is belligerent or unmotivated, there are by-the-book ways to get him out.

— todd spangler, Detroit Free Press, "A family's anguish: What drove Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui to jump to his death?," 17 Aug. 2017
The same kind of brain interventions being explored to reduce the need for sleep in the military could be adapted to make soldiers more belligerent or fearless.

— marcello ienca, Scientific American, "Preserving the Right to Cognitive Liberty," 24 July 2017
Speck Mellencamp was said to be uncooperative and belligerent with both officers and medics who were trying to treat him.

— justin l. mack, Indianapolis Star, "John Mellencamp's son, Speck, arrested in Bloomington," 17 July 2017
Keith Payne, the director of operations for Mitigation Dynamics, said his training emphasizes toning down situations when patients become belligerent.

— andy marso, kansascity, "Hospital workers ask: How can I be safe from assaults by patients?," 13 July 2017
The officer took the increasingly belligerent man home.

— john benson, cleveland.com, "Yoda-shaped marijuana pipe, police did find: North Royalton Police Blotter," 6 July 2017
One of the men got upset and became belligerent, screaming at the bouncer.

— julie a. short, cleveland.com, "Two senior citizens fight at local coffee shop: Fairview Park Police Blotter," 29 June 2017
At full throat, the new RS5 sounds pissed off, with fat blats on upshifts and a belligerent growl not far off the old V-8’s.

— erik johnson, Car and Driver, "2018 Audi RS5 Coupe," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belligerent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of belligerent

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

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First Known Use: 1577

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belligerent Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

BELLIGERENT Defined for Kids

belligerent

adjective bel·lig·er·ent \ bə-ˈli-jə-rənt \

Definition of belligerent for Students

1 :carrying on war belligerent nations

2 :feeling or showing readiness to fight

belligerent remarks

a belligerent stranger

belligerent

noun

Definition of belligerent for Students

1 :a nation at war

2 :a person taking part in a fight

Law Dictionary

belligerent

adjective bel·lig·er·ent \ bə-ˈli-jə-rənt \

legal Definition of belligerent

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

noun

legal Definition of belligerent

:a belligerent nation, state, or person

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Examples of belligerent in a Sentence

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belligerent, belligerents, and belligerence

Origin and Etymology of belligerent

belligerent Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Other Government and Politics Terms

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belligerent

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belligerent

Definition of belligerent for Students

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belligerent

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belligerent

legal Definition of belligerent

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