as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of combative
Handy said those actions would make meetings less combative among board members and introduce an additional level of financial accountability.
—
Sofi Zeman
october 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
Chapman was an ally of the Conservative Resurgence movement that transformed the denomination, but also willing to criticize combative attitudes the movement inspired.
—Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
In contrast to Newsom, Lurie has taken a far less combative approach to Trump since taking office in January.
—Kate Rogers, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
The slips added a subtle layer of tension to an already combative night.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Sofi Zeman
october 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
Chapman was an ally of the Conservative Resurgence movement that transformed the denomination, but also willing to criticize combative attitudes the movement inspired.
—Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
In contrast to Newsom, Lurie has taken a far less combative approach to Trump since taking office in January.
—Kate Rogers, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
The slips added a subtle layer of tension to an already combative night.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combative
Adjective
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The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of the aggressive tactics used by Border Patrol and ICE, including against US citizens.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The Chiefs were again aggressive on fourth down — and successful at stopping them, too.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Israel says the militant group can access the remains of most of the hostages.—
Maayan Lubell,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Israel launched its war on Hamas after the October 7, 2023, terror attacks in which the militant group and its allies killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Heading into a hostile environment at the Rogers Centre, the Dodgers must defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in Games 6 and 7 to clinch their second-straight World Series title.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Plot details are very hazy, but the word on the street is that the story centers on a ne’er-do-well smuggler who finds himself in the middle of a deadly double-cross while on a job in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in him surrounded by bodies, hostile mercenaries and thirsty sharks alike.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sia's contentious divorce just reached a whole new level of acrimony.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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Before the vote, Mueller engaged in a contentious exchange with Canepa over the appointment route.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Many Democrats have adopted a more brash and confrontational style of politics, which refuses to keep anything quiet.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
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Yet Walden’s hero turn in the second episode makes a strong case for the value of confrontational interviews with powerful politicians.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Corigliano’s symphony is assaultive in style and confrontational in intent.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combative. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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