belligerent 1 of 2

belligerent

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word belligerent distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of belligerent are bellicose, contentious, pugnacious, and quarrelsome. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

When would bellicose be a good substitute for belligerent?

The words bellicose and belligerent can be used in similar contexts, but bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

Where would contentious be a reasonable alternative to belligerent?

The synonyms contentious and belligerent are sometimes interchangeable, but contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

When might pugnacious be a better fit than belligerent?

While the synonyms pugnacious and belligerent are close in meaning, pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

When is it sensible to use quarrelsome instead of belligerent?

The words quarrelsome and belligerent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belligerent
Noun
Abram told The Arizona Republic that Merrill was belligerent and had shoved him the day before. Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025 Social deficits can manifest as belligerent or meek. Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 Concluding that Flanagan isn’t going to leave on her own, police put the belligerent prosecutor in handcuffs. Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025 This arouses the ire of the town’s belligerent sheriff (Colin Hanks, playing against type) and crooked theme park owner (John Ortiz) who decide to get revenge on the apparent family man causing them trouble. Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerent
Adjective
  • Sell assets for picks and cap space and attack an aggressive rebuild this offseason.
    Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Control an aggressive infestation with a preemergent herbicide applied in late summer before chickweed seeds germinate.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As such, the political and militant body – which has governed the territory since June 2007 – will need to be in a desperate situation to accept the terms.
    Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Trump’s peace plan has backed Hamas into a corner, leaving the militant group to face an existential dilemma.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Also today at my direction, every warrior across our joint force is required to do PT every duty day.
    Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Hounsou is an immortal warrior from Africa, while Abela is MacLeod’s modern romantic interest.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Tampa is heading into a hostile environment against a feisty Seattle Seahawks team that matches them with a 3-1 record.
    Josh Buckhalter, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Republicans, traditionally seen as more hostile to government, are often viewed as the shutdown aggressors.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Previously, a court order was required to collect the samples from fallen soldiers.
    Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Jerusalem — On a hot Friday morning in September, dozens of Israelis turned up at Gaza’s border fence – not as soldiers, but as dissenters.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But then, the state police were called in because the mall didn’t have enough security—that’s my understanding—so state troopers came in and shut it down.
    Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The cult hit comedy franchise Super Troopers revolves around the shenanigans of a group of Vermont state troopers who are slacker pranksters first and foremost.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Unverified image of a Russian serviceman holding a Ukrainian Baba Yaga drone on August 6, 2024.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The home had been loaned to the federal government's United Service Organization (U.S.O.) to serve as a hub of entertainment for the servicemen and women who were training at the nearby U.S. Naval Air Station Grosse Ile, which operated from 1927-1969 as a flight-training base.
    Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Belligerent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerent. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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