truculent

[ truhk-yuh-luhnt, troo-kyuh- ]
See synonyms for: truculenttruculencetruculency on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. aggressively hostile; belligerent.

  2. brutally harsh; vitriolic; scathing: Their truculent criticism of my latest work was not entirely fair.

  1. savagely brutal;barbarous; cruel.

Origin of truculent

1
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin truculentus, equivalent to truc-, stem of trux “savage, pitiless” + -ulentus adjective suffix; see -ulent

synonym study For truculent

3. See fierce.

Opposites for truculent

Other words from truculent

  • truc·u·lence [truhk-yuh-luhns, troo-kyuh-], /ˈtrʌk yə ləns, ˈtru kyə-/, truc·u·len·cy, noun
  • truc·u·lent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby truculent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use truculent in a sentence

  • One of the Canadians who had been in the American Navy was unusually truculent.

  • Groups of truculent young Arabs followed us shouting objurgations, and accepting small coins as ransom.

    Humanly Speaking | Samuel McChord Crothers

British Dictionary definitions for truculent

truculent

/ (ˈtrʌkjʊlənt) /


adjective
  1. defiantly aggressive, sullen, or obstreperous

  2. archaic savage, fierce, or harsh

Origin of truculent

1
C16: from Latin truculentus, from trux fierce

Derived forms of truculent

  • truculence or truculency, noun
  • truculently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012