bel·lig·er·ent (b -l j r-nt)adj. 1. Inclined or eager to fight; hostile or aggressive. 2. Of, pertaining to, or engaged in warfare. n. One that is hostile or aggressive, especially one that is engaged in war. [Latin belliger  ns, belligerant-, present participle of belligerre, to wage war, from belliger, warlike : bellum, war + gerere, to make.]bel·lig er·ent·ly adv.Synonyms: belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious, contentious, quarrelsome These adjectives mean having or showing an eagerness to fight. Belligerent refers to a tendency to hostile behavior: A belligerent reporter badgered the politician. Bellicose and pugnacious suggest a natural disposition to fight: "All successful newspapers are ceaselessly querulous and bellicose" (H.L. Mencken). A good litigator needs a pugnacious intellect. Contentious implies chronic argumentativeness: "His style has been described variously as abrasive and contentious, overbearing and pompous" (Victor Merina). Quarrelsome suggests bad temper and a perverse readiness to bicker: "The men gave him much room, for he was notorious as a quarrelsome person when drunk" (Stephen Crane). |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adv. | 1. | belligerently - with hostility; in a belligerent hostile manner; "he pushed her against the wall belligerently" |
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