Synonym Chooser

How is the word bellicose distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of bellicose are belligerent, contentious, pugnacious, and quarrelsome. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

Where would belligerent be a reasonable alternative to bellicose?

In some situations, the words belligerent and bellicose are roughly equivalent. However, belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

When could contentious be used to replace bellicose?

Although the words contentious and bellicose have much in common, contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

When might pugnacious be a better fit than bellicose?

The words pugnacious and bellicose can be used in similar contexts, but pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

When is quarrelsome a more appropriate choice than bellicose?

While the synonyms quarrelsome and bellicose are close in meaning, quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bellicose And North Korea’s increasingly bellicose attitude toward its neighbors has roiled China’s diplomatic and economic relations with South Korea and Japan. Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024 In addition to this bellicose foreign policy and disregard for American warnings, at home, Putin began to abandon Russia’s reform trajectory, instead combining an open economic system with an authoritarian regime. Stephan Kieninger / Made By History, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024 In the song, Lamar does a self-callout for being too bellicose in his raps. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2024 But the Israeli military’s increasingly bellicose statements pointing to an imminent ground invasion have cooled as diplomats on the sidelines of the United General Assembly rushed to secure a pause in the fighting. NBC News, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bellicose 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicose
Adjective
  • So far, investors have been relieved President Donald Trump has backed away from aggressive, across-the-board tariffs during his first days in office.
    Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Diagnosed with medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer that occurs most often in children and teens, Isabella survived.
    Liz McNeil, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The confirmation dealt, at least symbolically, a powerful blow to the militant group, particularly since the elusive Deif was considered iconic among Hamas fighters for surviving multiple assassination attempts.
    Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Unusually, that handover was a joint affair between Hamas and several allied militant groups.
    Mick Krever, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, she was hounded out of the classroom by authorities hostile to Western literature.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Last year, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden fired the inspector general of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, after an investigation found the official had created a hostile work environment.
    Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Besides securing access to the world's largest consumer market, these nations will be able to use relations with Washington as a bulwark against the belligerent empires on their borders.
    Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
  • North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has taken a more belligerent stand in world politics during the Biden administration, abandoning its Trump-era defensive posture in favor of active cooperation with its few allies.
    Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Some characters die violently in a warlike atmosphere, and the remaining ones struggle with their losses.
    Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 12 July 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near bellicose

Cite this Entry

“Bellicose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicose. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bellicose

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