truculent

adjective tru·cu·lent \ ˈtrə-kyə-lənt also ˈtrü- \

Definition of truculent

1 :aggressively self-assertive :belligerent

2 :scathingly harsh :vitriolic

truculent criticism

3 :feeling or displaying ferocity :cruel, savage

4 :deadly, destructive

—

truculently

adverb

See truculent defined for English-language learners

See truculent defined for kids

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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 of truculent from the Web

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, "Is Pierre Bergé the Most Powerful Man In France?," 16 Aug. 2017
Why should Trump risk such a confrontation with less-than-eager allies and a truculent Iranian regime?

— jonathan s. tobin, National Review, "The U.S. Should Violate the Iran Deal," 20 July 2017
One of his opponents is Rep. Mo Brooks, a truculent sort who is one of the more curious MSNBC semi-regulars, and Brooks has lined up with Meadows and the rest of them.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Big, Beautiful Fetish Object Is Back," 12 July 2017
But the bloc still faces hurdles implementing its climate goals that include truculent member states like pro-coal Poland and Britain's plans to exit from the bloc.

— reuters, The Christian Science Monitor, "EU votes to forge ahead on climate goals, ‘with or without’ Trump’s support," 14 June 2017
The orc allies that players gather to build their army can be funny, truculent or stupid.

— gieson cacho, The Mercury News, "Five takeaways things from Microsoft’s Xbox One X briefing," 12 June 2017
Goddard once walked into the room of a senior member of chambers who was proving particularly truculent.

— simon akam, Bloomberg.com, "The Exquisitely English (and Amazingly Lucrative) World of London Clerks," 23 May 2017
The 8 p.m. slot now features Tucker Carlson, charming, smart and libertarian (that is, not even dependably right wing), quite a looking-glass version of dark and truculent O’Reilly.

— michael wolff, The Hollywood Reporter, "Michael Wolff: Fox News Now Faces Sinclair and (Gasp!) Real Competition," 9 May 2017
In typically truculent manner, France’s powerful unions planned protests even in advance of the election result, in a show of force designed to remind the winner that public sector workers have the capacity to bring the country to a halt.

— owen matthews, Newsweek, "Vive Le Centre? Why Establishment Europe Shouldn't Feel Too Relieved About Le Pen's Defeat," 8 May 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.

Did You Know?

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.