as in belligerent
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Recent Examples of trigger-happy
The fifth pick in the 2025 draft has shown flashes as a scorer and pull-up shooter and has surprised many with his ability to make quick-decision passes, something that wasn’t exactly a feature of his game in his one trigger-happy season at Rutgers.
—
John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The Iranian government has long maintained a rather trigger-happy approach to censorship, to put it mildly.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
On one hand, some argue that Good was attempting to leave the scene, and a trigger-happy ICE agent fired his weapon at her, an abuse of authority.
—Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Behind the decks, a mischievous, trigger-happy DJ Próvaí occasionally came in a beat too early, adding an air of levity to the occasion.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trigger-happy
John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The Iranian government has long maintained a rather trigger-happy approach to censorship, to put it mildly.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
On one hand, some argue that Good was attempting to leave the scene, and a trigger-happy ICE agent fired his weapon at her, an abuse of authority.
—Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Behind the decks, a mischievous, trigger-happy DJ Próvaí occasionally came in a beat too early, adding an air of levity to the occasion.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trigger-happy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trigger-happy
Adjective
-
Massive drills of Russia’s nuclear forces earlier this month and a series of belligerent statements from Moscow warning Kyiv’s European allies about possible retaliation for what the Kremlin cast as their involvement in Ukrainian drone attacks have underlined Putin’s intention to up the ante.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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When he was found, deputies said Ortiz became belligerent, yelled at employees, threatened to harm them with a gun, and grabbed one of the resort employees.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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The narrator’s family has moved to an affluent part of Bengaluru, and their attempts to head off meddling outsiders are at times subtle, at times pugnacious, but always hilarious.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
27 May 2026
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And his pugnacious talk sounds quite a bit more like American politics than sober debates about the future of technology.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Yet critics have pointed to Trump’s meandering speeches and sometimes bellicose rhetoric as evidence of cognitive decline.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
-
His more diplomatic trade advisors are now ascendant, with the bellicose faction represented by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Counselor Peter Navarro increasingly sidelined.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
One of the world’s most cooperative mammals is also one of its most warlike.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
8 May 2026
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Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That, in turn, catalyzed the most aggressive Fed rate-hiking cycle ever and a bear market.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
-
Carolina’s penalty kill is extremely aggressive all over the ice.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Darren McCarty, a truculent member of the Red Wings who had multiple fights with Lemieux, posted a broken heart emoji on social media and heard the news from Draper.—
Stephen Whyno,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
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New York Rangers, 33-37-9 Last week: 29 Sean: 30 Dom: 28 Brian Burke Honorary Truck: Most truculent team The Rangers have thrown more hits than any team in the league.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trigger-happy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trigger-happy. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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