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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bellicose
Room for Disagreement There is a case that a less bellicose, less in-your-face flavour of DOGE could work better — and that such changes are easier when they’re not associated with a controversial figure.
—
Jim Waterson, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
In 2014, war broke out in the Donbas where my family lived, and Putin’s messaging around Victory Day became much more bellicose, making my family reject the holiday ever since.
—Sasha Vasilyuk, Time, 8 May 2025
Then a sudden switch: a bellicose, spine-stiffening bass line, and the instantly infamous refrain.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 15 May 2025
Trump, for all his bellicose rhetoric and military escalations, has always been deeply skeptical of getting into another major Middle Eastern war.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Jim Waterson, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
In 2014, war broke out in the Donbas where my family lived, and Putin’s messaging around Victory Day became much more bellicose, making my family reject the holiday ever since.
—Sasha Vasilyuk, Time, 8 May 2025
Then a sudden switch: a bellicose, spine-stiffening bass line, and the instantly infamous refrain.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 15 May 2025
Trump, for all his bellicose rhetoric and military escalations, has always been deeply skeptical of getting into another major Middle Eastern war.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicose
Adjective
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And signs have emerged that the White House may be misreading Trump’s election mandate and the political moment, with new polls showing public sentiment turning nationwide on the president’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
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Putin would hit them through relentless cyber attacks and increasingly aggressive military moves on their borders.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group's destruction.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
arkansasonline.com,
6 July 2025
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The Israeli leader has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, but it is thought that this is something that the militant group has so far refused to discuss.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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Guzman’s book was used as a common reader by several universities in 2024, reflecting ongoing concerns about the often hostile, partisan gaps that have roiled many campuses in recent years.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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In the five years since the events of Jurassic World Dominion, many of the dinosaurs and other formerly extinct creatures that were set free into the world have died off, unable to survive in the modern climate and otherwise hostile environments.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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From the beginning, Bruce is belligerent, taking any opportunity to criticize everyone, often refusing to join meals.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
2 July 2025
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The pro-Palestine messaging ignores the fact that a nuclear-armed Iran would be far more belligerent and dangerous than the regime already has been for the past three decades.—
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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His warlike actions in Iran, despite campaign promises to the contrary, blatantly bypassed the need to gain approval from the legislative branch of government.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
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The bottom line: Bipartisanship is the most obvious casualty of Schumer's new warlike posture toward the GOP.—
Hans Nichols,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bellicose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicose. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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