as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bellicose
For days, the president has issued increasingly bellicose warnings toward Tehran as protests have convulsed the Islamic Republic.
—
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 11 Jan. 2026
Fed up with Tony’s bellicose style and an unwillingness to meaningfully negotiate, Deerfield Beach would have to start its own police force and fire-rescue service — a major undertaking that will take two years.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Political analysts also warn that Georgia has aligned with an increasingly bellicose Russia.
—Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
So, despite the bellicose rhetoric often emanating from the White House and Capitol Hill, don’t be surprised if the two sides reach a pragmatic deal.
—semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 11 Jan. 2026
Fed up with Tony’s bellicose style and an unwillingness to meaningfully negotiate, Deerfield Beach would have to start its own police force and fire-rescue service — a major undertaking that will take two years.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Political analysts also warn that Georgia has aligned with an increasingly bellicose Russia.
—Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
So, despite the bellicose rhetoric often emanating from the White House and Capitol Hill, don’t be surprised if the two sides reach a pragmatic deal.
—semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicose
Adjective
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In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
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Wiener helped push two new California laws last year — the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act — in the wake of intense and aggressive immigration enforcement by masked ICE and other federal agents in California and around the country.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Although Pakistan's capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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Although Pakistan’s capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The hostile bid came as Nexstar Media Group agreed to acquire Tegna, in a $6 billion transaction that would run afoul of the FCC’s 39% ownership cap; Nexstar has filed for a waiver to the ownership cap.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer’s celebration of Hispanic culture could hardly have arrived at a more hostile moment for Latinos.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But his belligerent foreign policy once again overshadowed his attempts at a cohesive economic message.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
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Lately, the president has revisited his preoccupation with annexing Greenland in an increasingly belligerent manner.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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To many Chicagoans, the warlike atmosphere is the result of the increasing aggression of the federal government.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bellicose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicose. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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