as in invader
one that starts armed conflict against another especially without reasonable cause
a group of smaller states had formed an alliance to deter potential aggressors
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Recent Examples of aggressor
Prosecutor: Nutley was 'the aggressor' Nutley, the high school's director of academic services, met the teen in 2023 through the program at the high school's learning center.
—
Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Unlike deterrence by punishment, which threatens consequences like economic sanctions, a strategy of denial seeks to convince an aggressor that its objectives are unobtainable, by making the likelihood of a catastrophic military defeat more credible.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Then there’s his shocking failure to distinguish between aggressor and victim in the conflict, and his bizarre negotiating tactic of giving away the West’s best bargaining chips — security guarantees for Ukraine, a path to its NATO membership — before talks have even begun.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 19 June 2025
Israel has violated Iran and should be tried in an international trial as a war aggressor.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for aggressor
Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Unlike deterrence by punishment, which threatens consequences like economic sanctions, a strategy of denial seeks to convince an aggressor that its objectives are unobtainable, by making the likelihood of a catastrophic military defeat more credible.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Then there’s his shocking failure to distinguish between aggressor and victim in the conflict, and his bizarre negotiating tactic of giving away the West’s best bargaining chips — security guarantees for Ukraine, a path to its NATO membership — before talks have even begun.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 19 June 2025
Israel has violated Iran and should be tried in an international trial as a war aggressor.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for aggressor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggressor
raider
Noun
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Prior to foreign hunters visiting Uruguay and providing a financial incentive to keep the birds’ populations healthy, ducks were often poisoned en masse because they were seen as little more than crop raiders.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Raphael is a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023 Nova Festival massacre in Israel, which was part of a surprise attack in which Hamas raiders murdered more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 men, women and children.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aggressor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggressor. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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