combative

adjective

com·​bat·​ive kəm-ˈba-tiv How to pronounce combative (audio)
: marked by eagerness to fight or contend
combatively adverb
combativeness noun

Examples of combative in a Sentence

When the police tried to arrest him, he became combative. channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
Recent Examples on the Web Indeed, the atmosphere turned even more combative in July when Deadline published an article quoting anonymous executives saying studios were willing to let the strike grind on for several more months in an effort to bring the writers to their knees. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023 Shawn Fain, the combative president of the United Auto Workers union, has threatened to strike any of the three companies that haven’t reached an agreement by the time its contract with the union expires at 11:59 p.m. Tom Krisher, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023 Such a combative stance would be dangerous, slowing global economic growth while bringing the world’s two most powerful countries into an even more tense relationship. Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2023 The transcript shows a combative Mr. Trump, who was named as a defendant in the case alongside his company and three of his children, at times barely allowing lawyers to get a word in. William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023 Shawn Fain, the combative president of the United Auto Workers union, has threatened to strike any of the three companies that hasn’t reached an agreement by the time its contract with the union expires at 11:59 p.m. Tom Krisher, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023 Alongside his outsize entrepreneurial ventures—Tesla and SpaceX, among them—there is his public persona: charming, puckish, combative, mercurial. Arthur Herman, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2023 Many of those appearances were not only striking for their substance, but for Giuliani's combative tone and appearance (such as one since-viral moment when what appeared to be hair dye ran down his face during a live press conference). Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2023 After the unexpectedly combative meeting in May, town leaders proposed a one-year moratorium on battery permits, which passed last week. Gregory Barber, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'combative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of combative was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near combative

Cite this Entry

“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combative. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

combative

adjective
com·​bat·​ive kəm-ˈbat-iv How to pronounce combative (audio)
: eager to fight : pugnacious
combativeness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on combative

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