as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
her confrontational, in-your-face manner doesn't help get legislation passed
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Recent Examples of confrontational
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
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, 29 May 2026
Do not be confrontational about it.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Washington’s increasingly confrontational posture toward Europe, including tariff threats, disputes over technology regulation, and pressure tied to energy exports during the Hormuz crisis, has produced real economic and political consequences across the Atlantic.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
And if things get confrontational, nuclear power plants may not be the only territorial markers spacefaring nations put down.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
But the latest soccer event won’t likely signal any thaw in their long-strained ties, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un maintaining his confrontational stance against South Korea.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
As confrontational as his images could be, the camera was Avedon’s way of experiencing the world, a way of seeking truth through invention.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
Her tenure saw Latvia fully in line with its hawkish Baltic neighbors, who have played an outsize role in adopting a more confrontational stance toward Russia.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 31 May 2026
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, 29 May 2026
Do not be confrontational about it.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Washington’s increasingly confrontational posture toward Europe, including tariff threats, disputes over technology regulation, and pressure tied to energy exports during the Hormuz crisis, has produced real economic and political consequences across the Atlantic.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
And if things get confrontational, nuclear power plants may not be the only territorial markers spacefaring nations put down.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
But the latest soccer event won’t likely signal any thaw in their long-strained ties, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un maintaining his confrontational stance against South Korea.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
As confrontational as his images could be, the camera was Avedon’s way of experiencing the world, a way of seeking truth through invention.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
Her tenure saw Latvia fully in line with its hawkish Baltic neighbors, who have played an outsize role in adopting a more confrontational stance toward Russia.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontational
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
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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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Their focus on old values of community, mutual respect, reciprocity and the embrace of the gift economy is an antidote to the individualistic, competitive and combative discourse that’s prevalent in the West today.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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On the witness stand, the teenager was reportedly combative and flustered by Jackson’s attorney Tom Mesereau, who attempted to poke holes in Gavin’s testimony and allegedly screamed at the boy throughout.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 June 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
“Confrontational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontational. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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