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
The Murdochs' role in the takeover of America's most popular video app is a remarkable victory for the family and follows a relationship that has at times been combative.
—
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
In mythology, Mars is the god of war, known for its fierce and combative nature, and this is no exception in astrology.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Darcy said that when a person is resisting officers, their knowledge of the person having pre-existing medical conditions is not enough to prevent them from restraining someone combative.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025
If a member is particularly partisan and combative, that can trickle down.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
In mythology, Mars is the god of war, known for its fierce and combative nature, and this is no exception in astrology.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Darcy said that when a person is resisting officers, their knowledge of the person having pre-existing medical conditions is not enough to prevent them from restraining someone combative.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025
If a member is particularly partisan and combative, that can trickle down.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combative
Adjective
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Cynics may not believe the aggressive talk from the company.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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And the Buckeyes are working through some kinks in an offense that turns from conservative to aggressive in random segments of the game.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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China began conducting the contentious patrols after a February 2024 accident in which two Chinese fishermen drowned near Kinmen while fleeing from Taiwan’s coast guard.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Appointing James Bunce as performance director, having worked with him before at Monaco, was arguably the best decision of Mitchell’s short — and contentious — tenure.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The equanimity in Wear’s presentation was a stark contrast to Charlie Kirk’s confrontational style.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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So far, the Kremlin’s reaction to the accords has been cool and dismissive rather than openly confrontational.—
Thomas de Waal,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But attorney Gabi Silver, who previously represented one of the men in the original case before Hartig, said the judge made the appropriate call for a low-level, non-assaultive felony case against a client with no prior criminal record.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combative. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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