as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
the player became quite belligerent and was thrown out of the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in combatant
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belligerent
Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
On Tuesday, Trump adopted his most belligerent stance yet on Iran in a series of social media posts.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 17 June 2025
Iranians have been outspoken inside the country and across an ever-growing diaspora against the Islamic Republic’s human-rights abuses, constriction of personal freedoms, economic mismanagement, and belligerent foreign policy.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
The Iranian regime’s utter ineptitude is matched by a record of belligerent action and rhetoric.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Noun
European powers had withdrawn the crew’s belligerent status, and the new American president, Andrew Johnson, had excluded them from the general amnesty offered to Confederate soldiers.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
On Tuesday, Trump adopted his most belligerent stance yet on Iran in a series of social media posts.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 17 June 2025
Iranians have been outspoken inside the country and across an ever-growing diaspora against the Islamic Republic’s human-rights abuses, constriction of personal freedoms, economic mismanagement, and belligerent foreign policy.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
The Iranian regime’s utter ineptitude is matched by a record of belligerent action and rhetoric.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for belligerent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belligerent
Adjective
-
And signs have emerged that the White House may be misreading Trump’s election mandate and the political moment, with new polls showing public sentiment turning nationwide on the president’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
-
Putin would hit them through relentless cyber attacks and increasingly aggressive military moves on their borders.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
29 June 2025
-
Over 6,000 killed since latest ceasefire ended The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group's destruction.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
arkansasonline.com,
6 July 2025
-
Israel’s military has launched thousands of attacks targeting any move by the Lebanese militant group to restore its capabilities.—
Nabih Bulos
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Mortal Kombat 2 will focus on the Mortal Kombat tournament, the big battle in which warriors from different realms face off against one another in a fight to the bloody finish.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
4 July 2025
-
On screen, Charlize Theron kicks ass an immortal warrior.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Guzman’s book was used as a common reader by several universities in 2024, reflecting ongoing concerns about the often hostile, partisan gaps that have roiled many campuses in recent years.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
In the five years since the events of Jurassic World Dominion, many of the dinosaurs and other formerly extinct creatures that were set free into the world have died off, unable to survive in the modern climate and otherwise hostile environments.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
An ensemble of Army soldiers fired up the fife and drums on board the USS Constitution on Monday to provide a patriotic flair to the summer heat.—
Boston Herald staff,
Boston Herald,
7 July 2025
-
Adding to the Israeli public pressure to end the war is the large number of soldiers, 20, killed in Gaza in the past month alone.—
James Hider,
NPR,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
King called for assistance and a Kentucky state trooper responded.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
6 July 2025
-
The department is also working to add surveillance cameras in areas of concern and station more officers downtown, Bailey said, adding that officials from the Indiana State Police have agreed to add troopers throughout the summer.—
Matthew Cupelli,
IndyStar,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for ship building, munitions systems, and quality of life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system.—
Kevin Freking,
Twin Cities,
5 July 2025
-
Pact, based in Watertown, has in the prior two years raised about $10,000 for America’s servicemen and women, a spokeswoman for the company said.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belligerent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerent. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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