as in assaults
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
diplomats warned that any aggression by either side could easily turn into a full-scale war
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Recent Examples of aggressions
Oil prices have surged since February 28, when the US and Israel opened aggressions by assassinating Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a series of missile strikes that also killed the commander of the IRGC, the minister of defense, and other top brass.
—
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Mar. 2026
As servers delicately navigate around the women, serving plates of food that will never be touched, micro-aggressions are tossed, disguised as jokes.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
If and when such aggressions fully materialize, the United States will lack the moral and ethical authority to credibly object.
—Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Her visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which its nearest neighbors see as an homage to Japan’s past wartime aggressions, have also angered both of those nations.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
The proceedings seem to be going fine until unexpected tensions and aggressions start to break out among the dancers.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
For Brasília, Beijing constitutes an indispensable strategic partner, but Washington, even after its recent aggressions, remains an irreplaceable global power.
—Hussein Kalout, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2025
Challenges are also proceeding against the other frenzied aggressions prompted by the fake immigration emergency, including a lawsuit by the ACLU over the creation of the Alligator Alcatraz facility.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Mar. 2026
As servers delicately navigate around the women, serving plates of food that will never be touched, micro-aggressions are tossed, disguised as jokes.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
If and when such aggressions fully materialize, the United States will lack the moral and ethical authority to credibly object.
—Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Her visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which its nearest neighbors see as an homage to Japan’s past wartime aggressions, have also angered both of those nations.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
The proceedings seem to be going fine until unexpected tensions and aggressions start to break out among the dancers.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
For Brasília, Beijing constitutes an indispensable strategic partner, but Washington, even after its recent aggressions, remains an irreplaceable global power.
—Hussein Kalout, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2025
Challenges are also proceeding against the other frenzied aggressions prompted by the fake immigration emergency, including a lawsuit by the ACLU over the creation of the Alligator Alcatraz facility.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggressions
Noun
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According to state officials, the assaults took place between 2002 and 2008.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Such units have traditionally been used for missions like large-scale evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, including raids and assaults.—
James Legge,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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According to the independent National Institute for Security Studies in Israel, at least 1,116 people have been killed amid the Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the parallel Iran war began.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has its own navy that also relies on smaller vessels to do swarm attacks and drop mines.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At least four similar apps were axed in the following days, including Eyes Up, a platform that archived videos of arrests, raids, and abuses by immigration agents.—
Oriana van Praag,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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No ban on mask-wearing federal agents and no requirements for judicial warrants for immigration raids were in the final deal, which could spark a new clash once Congress returns from spring break.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When will these onslaughts of cold end?—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the forces being deployed are light infantry, units that lack the large armored vehicles, including tanks, that typically underpin sustained ground offensives.—
Chris Boccia,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Five of the seven games during this 1-6 stretch have come against top-10 offenses.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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The game, played before a professional women’s sports record crowd of 63,004 fans, was defined by tight defense and solid goalkeeping as both offenses struggled to generate consistent pressure.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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An outcry five years ago Missouri’s history with Christian boarding schools is why the previous attempts to pass this kind of legislation failed to get any traction.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
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The 6-foot-10 big man made his first six field-goal attempts and scored 11 points in his first eight minutes of floor time.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aggressions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggressions. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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