truculence

noun

ˈtrə-kyə-lən(t)s How to pronounce truculence (audio)
Definition of truculencenext
1
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel a congenital truculence that resulted in his spending a significant amount of time in the principal's office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others the sergeant's truculence was revealed when she made the recruits run even further in the heat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of truculence 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 Rogan began the show in his customary posture of sleepy truculence. — Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026 Those who remember the truculence of those rough-and-tumble Ducks know how much of a sacrifice that was. — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 6 June 2025 Frederic could be a fallback third-line centre option if the Leafs can’t get someone better (like Coyle), or support otherwise — truculence and scoring — on the wing. — Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for truculence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truculence
  1. aggression
  2. cruelty
  3. aggressiveness
  4. brutality
  5. hostility
  6. defiance
Noun
  • Even absent Chinese aggression, people in Taiwan increasingly identify as Taiwanese and do not seem inclined to repeat Hong Kong’s experience of acquiescing to Chinese rule.
    — Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
  • On the night of the last game at the old stadium, a 3-2 victory against Manchester United on May 10, 2016, nobody — not the police, the local community, not the club — expected the outpouring of emotion and aggression.
    — Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggression
Noun
  • The novel does not assign cruelty or compassion to any one community.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
  • Investigators later obtained an arrest warrant for Peyton Leon Wyrick on a felony animal cruelty charge.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • If Yesavage can maintain that aggressiveness over the rest of the season, the Jays won’t have to worry about their funky righty.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Cannon breaks down the accountability, aggressiveness and the perspective needed to play effective defense after the team’s reset week.
    — John W. Davis, Oc Register, 5 July 2026
Definition of aggressiveness
Noun
  • Viral videos of the police brutality on Instagram and YouTube swelled the crowds even further and transformed the protest site into a zone of occupation with the energy of a carnival.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Nixon administration played hardball Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon, for example, attacked coverage of police brutality at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention as one-sided in favor of antiwar protestors.
    — Heather Hendershot, The Conversation, 31 July 2026
Definition of brutality
Noun
  • On the obverse of this hostility is a genuine love of life, at least in some of its forms.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Given the extent of the disruption to oil exports from the Middle East since the start of hostilities between Washington and Tehran, most of the hikes announced by OPEC+ since March have had a negligible impact on the physical crude market.
    — Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • No wonder the new York head coach cut quite the forlorn figure on the touchline during the closing exchanges, even allowing for his post-match words of defiance for the boo boys.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Those acts of defiance, as well as frequent protests by retirees against worsening livelihoods, have helped shatter the narrative that Iranians are united behind their country’s war against the United States and Israel.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiance

Browse Nearby Words

trucks
truculence
truculency
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Cite this Entry

“Truculence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truculence. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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