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belligerent

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of belligerent

feeling or displaying eagerness to fight

  • the player became quite belligerent and was thrown out of the game
Synonyms of belligerent

aggressive, agonistic, argumentative, assaultive, bellicose, brawly, chippy, combative, confrontational, contentious, discordant, disputatious, feisty, gladiatorial, militant, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent, warlike
Words Related to belligerent

antagonistic, fierce, hostile, hot-tempered

acidic, bearish, bilious, bristly, choleric, crabby, cranky, cross, disagreeable, dyspeptic, fractious, fretful, grouchy, grumpy, huffy, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, irascible, irritable, ornery, peevish, pettish, petulant, prickly, querulous, rude, snappish, snappy, stroppy [British], surly, testy, touchy, ugly, waspish

savage, vicious

battling, fighting, warring
Phrases Synonymous with belligerent

on the warpath
Near Antonyms of belligerent

anti-imperialist, antimilitarist, unwarlike

affable, amiable, amicable, benevolent, complaisant, conciliatory, cordial, easygoing, friendly, genial, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, ingratiating, kindhearted, obliging, pleasant, sociable

calm, quiet, relaxed, serene, tranquil

benign, gentle, kindly, mild
Antonyms of belligerent

nonaggressive, nonbelligerent, pacific, peaceable, peaceful, unbelligerent, uncombative, uncontentious

Synonym Discussion of belligerent

belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious, quarrelsome, contentious mean having an aggressive or fighting attitude. belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.
    • belligerent nations
bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.
    • a drunk in a bellicose mood
pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.
    • a pugnacious gangster
quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.
    • the heat made us all quarrelsome
contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.
    • wearied by his contentious disposition

Learn More about belligerent

  1. See words that rhyme with belligerent Dictionary: Definition of belligerent Spanish Central: Translation of belligerent Nglish: Translation of belligerent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of belligerent for Arabic speakers

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