belligerent

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

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of belligerent

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

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belligerent

noun

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belligerently

adverb

See belligerent defined for English-language learners

See belligerent defined for kids

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

Fearn has been belligerent at past court appearances, and today was no exception.

— ashley remkus, AL.com, "'A truly innocent victim': Man sentenced to life in prison for gunning down his step-father," 5 Apr. 2018
Police said Ingram, who has worked at the K Street Fire Station in South Boston for years, was belligerent when he was pulled over and reversed his car into the cruiser parked behind him.

— kathryn burcham, ajc, "Boston firefighter called troopers 'Nazi scumbags,' according to court documents," 31 Mar. 2018
CBS Boston reports that 64-year-old Sean Ingram, of Quincy, was belligerent during his arrest Thursday night.

— CBS News, "Boston firefighter arrested after crashing into cop car and fleeing," 31 Mar. 2018
Trump’s foreign policy becomes increasingly interventionist and belligerent.

— t.a. frank, The Hive, "The Art of the Dunce: 15 Months Into His Presidency, Trump Can’t Negotiate His Way Out of a Paper Bag," 30 Mar. 2018
The neighbor told police the man didn’t seem like a police officer and was belligerent with the teen, according to the report.

— erik s. hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Police investigating possible police impersonator in South Milwaukee following suspicious traffic stop," 28 Mar. 2018
The couple appeared to be intoxicated and were belligerent to officers, according to an arrest report, which did not describe whether they had been tested for alcohol consumption.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "I ripped down anti-gun banner because I'm pro-gun: Accused Stoneman Douglas vandal," 27 Mar. 2018
Gradually, the debate about white monopoly capital was everywhere and the people talking about it were loud and belligerent.

— david segal, New York Times, "How Bell Pottinger, P.R. Firm for Despots and Rogues, Met Its End in South Africa," 4 Feb. 2018
There’s no denying that Bolton, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, is an advocate of a belligerent foreign policy, but there is dispute about how to describe his worldview.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Scarier Than a Neoconserative," 23 Mar. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

See Words from the same year

belligerent Synonyms

Phrases

on the warpath;

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 English Language Learners

belligerent

adjective

Definition of belligerent for English Language Learners

: angry and aggressive : feeling or showing readiness to fight
: fighting a war : engaged in a war

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