1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
die-hard fans who became truculent and violent after their team's loss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
a theater critic who was notorious for his titanically truculent reviews
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
played the role of a disturbed and truculent villain
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 truculent
Needing Maher’s truculent approval to sustain their own arguments, they’re defined by their enemy.
—
Armond White, National Review, 7 June 2024
Little kids squirm in makeshift beds trying to stay awake for Santa, while truculent teenagers sneak out into the suburban night to do secret teenager things.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2024
Russia’s truculent and obstructionist foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin comes from a sense of having lost the Cold War in the 1980s and having suffered the consequences of the defeat in the 1990s.
—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2018
Mexico City is so inept, so compromised by the cartels, and so truculent that joint military action seems a pipe dream.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for truculent
Armond White, National Review, 7 June 2024
Little kids squirm in makeshift beds trying to stay awake for Santa, while truculent teenagers sneak out into the suburban night to do secret teenager things.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2024
Russia’s truculent and obstructionist foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin comes from a sense of having lost the Cold War in the 1980s and having suffered the consequences of the defeat in the 1990s.
—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2018
Mexico City is so inept, so compromised by the cartels, and so truculent that joint military action seems a pipe dream.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for truculent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truculent
Adjective
-
However, thanks to aggressive conservation efforts, including predator control programs, habitat restoration, and breeding initiatives, several kiwi species have seen rebounds.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
-
Even so, the aggressive play in this post-season has stood out.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
While there may be unhealthy behaviors from both partners involved in an abusive relationship, one person tends to have more control than the other.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
-
The complaint also alleged that Combs could be physically abusive to her, once stomping on her face and forcing her to hide in a hotel room for a week until her bruises healed.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
12 May 2025
-
Bruno Silva via first-round KO This finish was absolutely brutal.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
Saturday's summit comes two months after Israel ended a ceasefire reached with the Hamas militant group in January.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
-
Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
The idea that women need to be properly taught how to conceive a child through a government program is a particularly insulting proposal, says Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
-
But in March, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Wash., ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.—
Mark Sherman,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Scheifele’s emotional and inspirational decision to play mere hours after his father’s unexpected death — to play for his dad, to play because of his dad — ended in cruel fashion, with Scheifele helpless in the penalty box.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
-
At first the program seems to be benign, but Hayakawa’s film steadily reveals how the policy thrives on the cruel capitalist tenet that people are disposable.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
And Marguerite did actually manage to live there for years, scraping together a life on the hostile tundra.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
-
And this is a very hard-line government that has taken a kind of hostile view of everybody in the region.—
Obed Manuel,
NPR,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
MrBeast has garnered a massive fanbase through his videos featuring outrageous stunts and big-money giveaways.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
12 May 2025
-
Betty, Bob, and Thorgy are all hugely committed and funny, wearing bold New Wave patterns and outrageous hair.—
Barry Levitt,
Vulture,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truculent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truculent. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share