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
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the candidate criticized her opponent's bellicosity as divisive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bellicose
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto / Getty Images Israel’s defense minister issued a bellicose statement, threatening that the military would once again begin evacuating civilians from combat zones.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the United States and South Korea of increasing tensions with their joint drills and Pyongyang often responds with bellicose threats.
—Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025
American presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike, typically struck a more bellicose tone on the threat posed by an emboldened Russia.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Adjective
The city’s residents tired of D’Annunzio’s reckless rule, and his bellicose posturing and expansionist maneuvers discomfited the Italian monarchy.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto / Getty Images Israel’s defense minister issued a bellicose statement, threatening that the military would once again begin evacuating civilians from combat zones.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the United States and South Korea of increasing tensions with their joint drills and Pyongyang often responds with bellicose threats.
—Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025
American presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike, typically struck a more bellicose tone on the threat posed by an emboldened Russia.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bellicose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicose
Adjective
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But in recent weeks, Musk dramatically lowered his taxpayer savings estimates from DOGE's government cuts, disagreed publicly with Trump's aggressive tariff policies and butted heads with multiple Trump officials, some publicly, revealing divisions within the White House over Musk's influence.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
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Moderate Republicans from swing districts are balking at deep cuts to social safety net programs, even as hardliners demand more aggressive reductions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Workplace Bully Forget the Hollywood version — the red-faced screamer, the open aggression bully.—
Jason Walker PsyD,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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That means reducing aggression, agitation, and sleep disturbances.—
Dr. Sabooh Mubbashar,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The attack at Pahalgam on Tuesday was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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However, Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a militant group that called itself the Kashmir Resistance.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s aggressive targeting of major law firms, many of which have advocated liberal policy positions and clients, also marks a striking new front in his second-term legal battles, as the administration pressures firms seen as politically hostile or unwilling to back its agenda.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 May 2025
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Russia will accrue enormous economic benefits if the United States facilitates its reentry into the world economy, generating revenue that will go directly to rebuilding its military, funding hostile intelligence operations and propping up a regime that’s never far from its next military adventure.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 May 2025
Noun
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When expectant fathers face hostility or subtle exclusion at work, the consequences can extend beyond their own careers.—
Kim Elsesser,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Questions were raised over Putin’s motives in calling the brief halt to hostilities, which came just after the Trump administration threatened to abandon peace efforts without tangible signs of progress.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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He’s paired, in dance and as a love interest, with a belligerent Parisian principal, Gabin Roux (Ivan du Pontavice).—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Apr. 2025
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This term around, Trump has spoken in belligerent tones.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Bellicose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicose. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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