Definition of TRUCULENT

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Truculent derives from "truculentus," a form of the Latin adjective trux, meaning "savage." It has been used in English since the 16th century to describe people or things that are cruel and ferocious, such as tyrannical leaders or wars, and has also come to mean "deadly or destructive" (as in "a truculent disease"). In current use, however, it has lost much of its etymological fierceness. It now frequently serves to describe speech or writing that is notably harsh (as in "truculent criticism") or a person who is notably self-assertive and surly (such as "a truculent schoolboy"). Some usage commentators have criticized these extended uses because they do not match the savagery of the word's original sense, but they are well-established and perfectly standard.

Examples of truculent in a Sentence

The hard work is to demonstrate exactly how the outsize Churchillian personality, so truculent, so impulsive, so often profoundly wrongheaded, became, in the dark spring of 1940, just what was needed for national survival. —Simon Schama, New York Review of Books, 28 Feb. 2002 Milton—in his prose an opinionated and truculent writer—remains a magnet for opinionated and truculent criticism. —Helen Vendler, New Republic, 30 July 2001 Within a year of publishing The Female Eunuch, she had debated Norman Mailer in a truculent disputation at Town Hall in New York, turned up on the cover of Life magazine as the "saucy feminist that even men like," and inspired innumerable women to stop wearing underpants. —Margaret Talbot, New Republic, 31 May 1999 … in the breast pocket of her police uniform she carried a small silver figurine of Durga, the Hindu goddess of shakti: power and strength. Defiant and truculent, she flashed a cheeky grin. —Mary Anne Weaver, Atlantic, November 1996 Challenged to a fight by a truculent layabout on the playing fields of St. James's primary school one Saturday, he had replied to his aggressor's taunts with his own war cries … —Wole Soyinka, Isara, 1989 die-hard fans who became truculent and violent after their team's loss a theater critic who was notorious for his titanically truculent reviews

Recent Examples on the Web

Nobody knows which president will show up — the truculent one railing about inadequate military spending by the allies or the boastful one taking credit for recent spending increases. — Steven Erlanger, New York Times, "As Summit Nears, NATO Allies Have One Main Worry: Trump," 26 June 2018 His earliest instructor was a truculent Marine captain who preached raw violence, which helped on the revenge front but which left Kamen desiring a deeper spiritual connection with the craft. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "The Crane Kick Is Bogus: A Karate Kid Oral History," 1 May 2018 North Korea's truculent statement came in response to an interview in which John Bolton, Trump's new national security advisor, cited Libya as a model for disarmament — a parallel that unnerved and angered Kim. — Eli Stokols, latimes.com, "Trump casts doubt on U.S.-North Korea summit as he meets with South Korea's Moon to salvage it," 22 May 2018 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo laid out the Trump administration’s truculent new approach to Iran in a speech to the Heritage Foundation two weeks after the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama. — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Pompeo Unveils Hyperaggressive Iran Strategy That Hints at Regime Change," 21 May 2018 Twenty-one years later, though, the U.S. military invaded to oust Torrijos’s truculent successor, Manuel Noriega, and install a more pliant regime. — Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, "The Diplomat Who Quit the Trump Administration," 19 May 2018 His aggressive style and truculent treatment of Premier League referees made him an imposing figure for any opposition. — SI.com, "Pascal Chimbonda and 24 Other Classic Premier League Players You'd Forgotten: No. 9 - Luís Boa Morte," 10 May 2018 There are those in Paris who will tell you—without any irony whatsoever—that the story of Pierre Bergé is the story of France in the second half of the 20th century: often incorrigible, sometimes truculent, always ascendant. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "Was Pierre Bergé the Most Powerful Man In France?," 8 Sep. 2017 There are those in Paris who will tell you—without any irony whatsoever—that the story of Pierre Bergé is the story of France in the second half of the 20th century: often incorrigible, sometimes truculent, always ascendant. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "Was Pierre Bergé the Most Powerful Man In France?," 8 Sep. 2017

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