as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of combative
Manila’s Teodoro struck the most combative tone, saying that China expansionism continues unabated.
—
Lim Hui Jie,joanna Ossinger, CNBC, 31 May 2026
This year, Republicans at the convention will be faced with whether to choose combative anti-establishment candidates or more conventional ones.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Some users online have also complained about the model being restrained and combative, refusing to comply with even straightforward and benign requests.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 May 2026
This morning, the emotional Moon opposes combative Mars, so tempers and needs can pull in opposite directions.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for combative
Lim Hui Jie,joanna Ossinger, CNBC, 31 May 2026
This year, Republicans at the convention will be faced with whether to choose combative anti-establishment candidates or more conventional ones.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Some users online have also complained about the model being restrained and combative, refusing to comply with even straightforward and benign requests.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 May 2026
This morning, the emotional Moon opposes combative Mars, so tempers and needs can pull in opposite directions.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for combative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combative
Adjective
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That, in turn, catalyzed the most aggressive Fed rate-hiking cycle ever and a bear market.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
-
Carolina’s penalty kill is extremely aggressive all over the ice.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Attacks in the region by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group allied with the militant organization Islamic State, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has also touted the militant group’s drone capabilities, calling them an effective weapon against Israeli forces operating near and inside southern Lebanon.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Two questions about the wisdom of mandatory minimum sentences — a very contentious topic in legal circles — yielded only brief responses.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
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With the primary season wrapping up across the country, the contentious race in Michigan is increasingly seen as a test case for where the party and its base are headed into the November election and beyond.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Red card for covering mouth during a confrontation Any player who covers his mouth in a confrontational situation could receive a red card.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
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Shange’s rainbow assemblage manages to be confrontational and conciliatory through a confessional accumulation that collapses poetry, movement, and ritual into a single and ever-changing event.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Unlawful activity including blocking roads, intentionally creating hazards and assaultive behavior will not be tolerated.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled in two more surge cases involving Paul Nguyen and Nathalie Rose Jones, each accused of assaultive or threatening conduct during summer protests.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combative. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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