as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the candidate criticized her opponent's bellicosity as divisive
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Recent Examples of bellicosity
The Supreme Court’s invalidation of most Trump tariffs and the bellicosity of his response, which included the immediate imposition of new 10% tariffs across the board and the threat to increase them to 15%, have done nothing to settle investors’ nerves.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The beating death of ultraconservative activist Quentin Deranque in the French city of Lyon last week has pushed both the country’s far right and left flanks toward bellicosity, as both ends of the political spectrum blame the other for his death and the threat of further violence.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
And should Trump ramp up the bellicosity of his rhetoric once again, Greenland might even be pushed closer to China, the WoodMac analysts warned.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
London has dispatched its Prime Minister to deescalate the bellicosity.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
The bellicosity emanating from Washington has put the world on edge, prompting governments from Japan to Germany and Canada to increase defense spending.
—Sagarika Jaisinghani, Bloomberg, 17 Jan. 2026
Trump may get away with this approach; his unpredictability, and Netanyahu’s bellicosity, will temper the mullahs’ atomic ambitions for now.
—Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The beating death of ultraconservative activist Quentin Deranque in the French city of Lyon last week has pushed both the country’s far right and left flanks toward bellicosity, as both ends of the political spectrum blame the other for his death and the threat of further violence.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
And should Trump ramp up the bellicosity of his rhetoric once again, Greenland might even be pushed closer to China, the WoodMac analysts warned.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
London has dispatched its Prime Minister to deescalate the bellicosity.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
The bellicosity emanating from Washington has put the world on edge, prompting governments from Japan to Germany and Canada to increase defense spending.
—Sagarika Jaisinghani, Bloomberg, 17 Jan. 2026
Trump may get away with this approach; his unpredictability, and Netanyahu’s bellicosity, will temper the mullahs’ atomic ambitions for now.
—Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicosity
Noun
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Kyiv fears that Moscow could use that territory as a launchpad for further aggression.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
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Unfortunately, the quality of the program was low and resulted in rising aggression and behavior issues among children, especially boys, and hurt parental relationships.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And though some executives have noted his methodical approach can be difficult when making deals, others have praised his overall aggressiveness.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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Still, Bridges insists aggressiveness is not the issue.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Iran war has entered its fifth week with hostilities escalating across the region.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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After all, a bit more than a decade later, hostilities would explode anew in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, during which Nasser shut the canal again.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bellicosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicosity. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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