combative
adjective
com·bat·ive
kəm-ˈba-tiv 
: 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
The Russian president struck an unusually combative tone, issuing stark warnings of potential retaliation over Western support for Ukraine and NATO expansion.
—
Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
In a phone interview Thursday with Fox News Digital, Higby explained the group was sitting and having conversations with nearby protesters when a woman approached him and started being combative.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
But with a combative Trump questioning the very purpose of the UN at his speech before the General Assembly, Beijing has an international audience that may be more receptive to its overtures.
—Jeffrey Prescott, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2025
Neither can throw, and Colelman, who is eager and combative, handles outside curveballs like a man fighting bees.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
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Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
In a phone interview Thursday with Fox News Digital, Higby explained the group was sitting and having conversations with nearby protesters when a woman approached him and started being combative.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
But with a combative Trump questioning the very purpose of the UN at his speech before the General Assembly, Beijing has an international audience that may be more receptive to its overtures.
—Jeffrey Prescott, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2025
Neither can throw, and Colelman, who is eager and combative, handles outside curveballs like a man fighting bees.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combative. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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