PUGNACIOUSNESS Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

pugnaciousness

noun

Definition of pugnaciousness

as in pugnacity

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugnaciousness

Noun

But all of that is in addition to his defense, his rebounding, his slashing, his voice, his pugnacity.

— Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Trump had won by fifty-three points there in 2016, and Greene’s paranoid pugnacity seemed like a good fit, if voters could stomach an outsider.

— Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026

Definition of pugnacity

Noun

Transport second Warning signs of heat stroke include dizziness, headache, nausea, severe fatigue, and can include confusion, combativeness or potential loss of consciousness, Casa says.

— Scott Neuman, NPR, 29 July 2026
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

Definition of combativeness

Noun

That was the most glaring example of the gulf between the two teams in terms of duels, aggression and general competitiveness.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
The savage purge since June of high-momentum stocks – dominated by AI hardware and related industrials – has sapped the bullish aggression of traders, helping to reset tactical sentiment toward a more neutral level.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of aggression

Noun

Trump's belligerence reinvigorated Canada's Liberal Party, with Mark Carney winning the April 2025 election to continue on as prime minister.

— Chris Brennan, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Unfortunately, however, the warmth and love of the old pub-rocking 101’ers has been traded for a new aggression and belligerence.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of belligerence

Noun

The Oilers have been adding truculence since he was named general manager in 2024.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Last fall’s announcement that Amazon’s Prime Video platform would be teeing up four hours of exclusive coverage of the Masters was met with a predictable show of teeth-gnashing truculence, because how dare the Augusta brass entrust a new carveout to a digital interloper?

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of truculence

Noun

Israel’s bellicosity in conducting a bloody regional conflict for over two years presents a challenge.

— Alexander Langlois, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026
The Supreme Court’s invalidation of most Trump tariffs and the bellicosity of his response, which included the immediate imposition of new 10% tariffs across the board and the threat to increase them to 15%, have done nothing to settle investors’ nerves.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026

Definition of bellicosity

Noun

Some of Apple’s old feistiness needs to return, too, several experts said, pointing to the underdog energy Elon Musk brings to Tesla and SpaceX as an example of what can drive real innovation.

— Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Many of Paraguay’s transgressions could have ended in yellow cards, but did not and towards the end, France brought their own feistiness to the fore.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of feistiness

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

pugnacious

pugnaciousness

pugnacity

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pugnaciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugnaciousness. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pugnaciousness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

volition

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes