Synonyms of truculence

truculence

noun

ˈtrə-kyə-lən(t)s 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cruelty
• brutality
• savagery
• atrocity
• savageness
• barbarity
• heartlessness
• sadism
• murderousness
• inhumanity
• viciousness
• fiendishness
• cruelness
• barbarousness
• inhumanness
• wantonness
• ruthlessness
• ferocity
• mercilessness
• atrociousness
• meanness
• pitilessness
• ferociousness
• grimness
• fierceness
• oppressiveness
• bloodthirstiness
• spitefulness
• malevolence
• hard-heartedness
• sanguinity
• maliciousness
• unfeelingness
• malignity
• bloodlust
• hatefulness
• harshness
• heavy-handedness
• nastiness
• fellness
• cattiness
• despitefulness
• sanguineness
• hardhandedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sympathy
• compassion
• humanity
• kindness
• humaneness
• benignity
• tenderness
• warmth
• tenderheartedness
• kindheartedness
• good-heartedness
• warmness
• pity
• mercy
• leniency
• clemency
• warmheartedness
• charitableness
• mercifulness

Example Sentences

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