as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the dominant male wolf was able to withstand the belligerence of younger challengers
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Recent Examples of belligerence
Wolff said Xi may not be ready to take Taiwan by force yet as there are other hotspots in the South China Sea where the U.S. potentially would be obliged to intervene against Chinese belligerence, such as the Philippines.
—
John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
Emboldened by four years of appeasement policies, the CCP is on the march — escalating its military activities, conducting aggressive drills around Taiwan, and increasing its belligerence in the South China Sea.
—Arthur Herman, National Review, 3 Apr. 2025
The country has swung wildly in its hawkishness, from the isolationism of the 1930s to the belligerence of the early 1980s.
—Alexandra Chinchilla, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2025
This is why Australian leaders have focused on the lack of notice rather than accusations of Beijing's belligerence.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerence
John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
Emboldened by four years of appeasement policies, the CCP is on the march — escalating its military activities, conducting aggressive drills around Taiwan, and increasing its belligerence in the South China Sea.
—Arthur Herman, National Review, 3 Apr. 2025
The country has swung wildly in its hawkishness, from the isolationism of the 1930s to the belligerence of the early 1980s.
—Alexandra Chinchilla, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2025
This is why Australian leaders have focused on the lack of notice rather than accusations of Beijing's belligerence.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerence
Noun
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According to her July 2025 report to the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese claimed the U.S. may be ‘liable for the international crime of aggression’ for President Trump's strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 July 2025
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Rotating Carriers To Multiple Hotspots USS Nimitz is now operating in the Red Sea to deter further aggression from Iran and its regional proxies.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
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In our experience we were met with outright hostility for our Christian beliefs.—
BJ,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
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But these weaknesses stem largely from underfunding and political hostility – not from any intrinsic flaw in the model.—
Sumit Agarwal,
The Conversation,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belligerence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerence. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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