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 Polls conducted over decades show that Americans fear a leader who is bellicose or too tough. Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 While rejecting his successor George Gascón’s move to support a resentencing of the brothers, plus dashing their hopes for a new trial in recent weeks, Hochman today made a point outside the courthouse of trying to tone down his previous bellicose stance. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025 Whereas other música Mexicana acts have built massive audiences by singing about their more bellicose escapades, Cornejo has made a name for himself by focusing on matters of the heart. Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025 In fact, most bird watchers have never seen aggregations of hummingbirds that were not actively fighting over food or mates, but astonishingly, one species has overcome their bellicose nature to nest peacefully in colonies. Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicose
Adjective
  • Nonprofits focused on such issues could be seen as antagonistic to the company’s aggressive commercialization efforts.
    Hayden Field, CNBC, 23 May 2025
  • The 82-year-old was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer among men, with 1 in 8 being diagnosed in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.
    Sam Woodward, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
  • Saturday's summit comes two months after Israel ended a ceasefire reached with the Hamas militant group in January.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • And this is a very hard-line government that has taken a kind of hostile view of everybody in the region.
    Obed Manuel, NPR, 15 May 2025
  • And Marguerite did actually manage to live there for years, scraping together a life on the hostile tundra.
    The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Russian propagandists are becoming even more belligerent now that the United States is considering harsher sanctions on Russia, while the European Union enacted them yesterday.
    Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
  • Dear Eric: Last year my father’s funeral was ruined because of a rude and disrespectful cemetery security guard, who yelled at and became belligerent with my family for no reason.
    R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 6 May 2025
Adjective
  • The bottom line: Bipartisanship is the most obvious casualty of Schumer's new warlike posture toward the GOP.
    Hans Nichols, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Bellicose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicose. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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