as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
an inveterate belligerency that needs to be addressed by classes in anger management
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of belligerency
Contrary to former President Joe Biden, our co-belligerency is not to make Ukraine safe for democracy.
—
Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2025
Furthermore, pursuant to Additional Protocol I, Article 47(1), mercenaries do not qualify as combatants, and as such, cannot benefit from the privilege of belligerency.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 12 June 2022
The formal and informal Democratic establishment convinced itself that the country had been repelled by Trump’s belligerency in his debate with Biden.
—Conrad Black, National Review, 14 Oct. 2020
So all you're left with was this over the top belligerency of the president, which didn't go over well with people.
—NBC News, 4 Oct. 2020
Credibility requires consistency, not belligerency.
—Keren Yarhi-Milo, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
What Flake doesn’t get is that Trump’s culture war belligerency is the first time many GOP voters feel the party is doing something for them.
—Jonathan Tamari, Philly.com, 27 Oct. 2017
This is also the right time to demonstrate to North Korea that we will not be intimidated or blackmailed by Pyongyang's belligerency.
—chicagotribune.com, 6 Sep. 2017
Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2025
Furthermore, pursuant to Additional Protocol I, Article 47(1), mercenaries do not qualify as combatants, and as such, cannot benefit from the privilege of belligerency.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 12 June 2022
The formal and informal Democratic establishment convinced itself that the country had been repelled by Trump’s belligerency in his debate with Biden.
—Conrad Black, National Review, 14 Oct. 2020
So all you're left with was this over the top belligerency of the president, which didn't go over well with people.
—NBC News, 4 Oct. 2020
Credibility requires consistency, not belligerency.
—Keren Yarhi-Milo, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
What Flake doesn’t get is that Trump’s culture war belligerency is the first time many GOP voters feel the party is doing something for them.
—Jonathan Tamari, Philly.com, 27 Oct. 2017
This is also the right time to demonstrate to North Korea that we will not be intimidated or blackmailed by Pyongyang's belligerency.
—chicagotribune.com, 6 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerency
Noun
-
The flame-wielder is a tough match for Mecha Man, necessitating some extrajudicial aggression as Robert lops off two of his opponent’s fingers with a beam saber.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
-
What's more, the researchers were surprised to find no evidence of the spiders' usual cannibalistic aggression.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Just nothing, not dictating at the point of attack, no aggressiveness to it at all.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness in the Gleason grading system, which ranges from 6 to 10, with 10 being the most aggressive.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
One can be sure that the utility of having hostilities with Venezuela for this case is not lost on the administration.—
David Smilde,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Before the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win in January 2024, Jones embraced that hostility by jawing with fans during warmups.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belligerency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerency. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
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