as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the candidate criticized her opponent's bellicosity as divisive
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Recent Examples of bellicosity
The Supreme Court’s invalidation of most Trump tariffs and the bellicosity of his response, which included the immediate imposition of new 10% tariffs across the board and the threat to increase them to 15%, have done nothing to settle investors’ nerves.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The beating death of ultraconservative activist Quentin Deranque in the French city of Lyon last week has pushed both the country’s far right and left flanks toward bellicosity, as both ends of the political spectrum blame the other for his death and the threat of further violence.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
And should Trump ramp up the bellicosity of his rhetoric once again, Greenland might even be pushed closer to China, the WoodMac analysts warned.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
London has dispatched its Prime Minister to deescalate the bellicosity.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
The bellicosity emanating from Washington has put the world on edge, prompting governments from Japan to Germany and Canada to increase defense spending.
—Sagarika Jaisinghani, Bloomberg, 17 Jan. 2026
Trump may get away with this approach; his unpredictability, and Netanyahu’s bellicosity, will temper the mullahs’ atomic ambitions for now.
—Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The beating death of ultraconservative activist Quentin Deranque in the French city of Lyon last week has pushed both the country’s far right and left flanks toward bellicosity, as both ends of the political spectrum blame the other for his death and the threat of further violence.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
And should Trump ramp up the bellicosity of his rhetoric once again, Greenland might even be pushed closer to China, the WoodMac analysts warned.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
London has dispatched its Prime Minister to deescalate the bellicosity.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
The bellicosity emanating from Washington has put the world on edge, prompting governments from Japan to Germany and Canada to increase defense spending.
—Sagarika Jaisinghani, Bloomberg, 17 Jan. 2026
Trump may get away with this approach; his unpredictability, and Netanyahu’s bellicosity, will temper the mullahs’ atomic ambitions for now.
—Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellicosity
Noun
-
The mayor denounced the attack as a cowardly act of aggression against the city's Jewish community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Telegraphing our intentions by running the options through Congress would have only caused further acts of aggression by Iran and created an even worse situation.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, Joseph Woll was again stellar, stopping 31 of 33 shots and earning deserved praise for his aggressiveness and agility.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
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Still, Bridges insists aggressiveness is not the issue.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Monday marks five years since a series of deadly shootings at local massage businesses shocked metro Atlanta and started a conversation about hostility toward Asian Americans across the country.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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The price of oil had continued to rise since hostilities started, with the recent surge driven by concerns over global supply distribution and instability.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bellicosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellicosity. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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