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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belligerence
The belligerence coming from Washington right now makes the post-9/11 noise from the Bush 43 crowd come off as restrained.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Ramírez arrived in Amman at the moment when the fedayeen groups were at the height of their power and belligerence, and the kingdom was teetering on the brink of all-out conflict.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The encounter by Canadian aircraft monitoring these vessels with Chinese aircraft points to both Beijing’s backing of the secretive state and its belligerence in the wider region.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
At the same time, observers in Washington and Seoul have become hopeful that growing public support in South Korea for developing an independent nuclear deterrent might provide Beijing with another compelling reason to renew its efforts to restrain the North’s belligerence.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerence
Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Ramírez arrived in Amman at the moment when the fedayeen groups were at the height of their power and belligerence, and the kingdom was teetering on the brink of all-out conflict.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The encounter by Canadian aircraft monitoring these vessels with Chinese aircraft points to both Beijing’s backing of the secretive state and its belligerence in the wider region.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
At the same time, observers in Washington and Seoul have become hopeful that growing public support in South Korea for developing an independent nuclear deterrent might provide Beijing with another compelling reason to renew its efforts to restrain the North’s belligerence.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerence
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
-
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
-
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
“Belligerence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerence. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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