Synonyms of combativeness

combativeness

noun

as in aggression

an inclination to fight or quarrel

the boxer was known more for his unbridled combativeness than for his technical skill

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aggression
• aggressiveness
• hostility
• pugnacity
• defiance
• belligerence
• contentiousness
• militance
• assaultiveness
• feistiness
• fight
• militancy
• bellicosity
• truculence
• belligerency
• scrappiness
• quarrelsomeness
• disputatiousness
• irritability
• antagonism
• fierceness
• unfriendliness
• militantness
• chip on one's shoulder
• jingoism
• militarism
• imperialism
• irascibility
• testiness
• rudeness
• peevishness
• petulance
• irritableness
• fractiousness
• crankiness
• orneriness
• disagreeableness
• hyperaggressiveness
• surliness
• crossness
• grouchiness
• grumpiness
• fretfulness
• querulousness
• biliousness
• acidity
• captiousness
• huffiness
• pettishness
• waspishness
• irascibleness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pacifism
• nonaggression
• friendliness
• sociability
• cordiality
• benevolence
• geniality
• gentleness
• amiability
• affability
• graciousness
• antimilitarism
• pleasantness
• kindliness
• mildness
• amicability
• anti-imperialism
• antiaggression
• complaisance
• amenability
• placability

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of combativeness

But there is a far more important influence Dobeš can have on this series than his combativeness, and that is his puckhandling. — Sean Gentille, New York Times, 23 May 2026

As a student at Dartmouth College, Dhillon doubled down on her political beliefs with a combativeness that foreshadowed her later commitment to MAGA. — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026

But Bondi decided the moment called for combativeness, not contrition. — Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026

Bessent’s combativeness is, in part, a sign of the times, said David Lublin, chair of the Department of Government at American University’s School of Public Affairs. — Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026

For Republicans, the primary has become a struggle over how to keep Texas red, with their party weighing steadiness, combativeness and reinvention in the post-Trump era. — Gromer Jeffers Jr. political, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026

For those reading the tea leaves about the level of combativeness that next year’s talks could bring, some members of the strike-era leadership are back in 2026. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025

Republican politicians have canceled meetings or opted to hold them virtually in response to criticism and combativeness from voters, and some Democratic town halls have also been targeted. — Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025