aggression

American  

[uh-gresh-uhn] / əˈgrɛʃ ən /

noun

aggressions plural

1. the action of a state in violating by force the rights of another state, particularly its territorial rights; an unprovoked offensive, attack, invasion, or the like.

   The army is prepared to stop any foreign aggression.

   Antonyms:

   peacefulness

2. any offensive action, attack, or procedure; an inroad or encroachment.

   an aggression upon one's rights.

3. the practice of making assaults or attacks; offensive action in general.

4. Psychiatry. overt or suppressed hostility, either innate or resulting from continued frustration and directed outward or against oneself.

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aggression British  

/ əˈɡrɛsə, əˈɡrɛʃən /

noun

1. an attack or harmful action, esp an unprovoked attack by one country against another

2. any offensive activity, practice, etc

   an aggression against personal liberty

3. psychol a hostile or destructive mental attitude or behaviour

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aggression Scientific  

/ ə-grĕsh′ən /

1. Behavior that is meant to intimidate or injure an animal of the same species or of a competing species but is not predatory. Aggression may be displayed during mating rituals or to defend territory, as by the erection of fins by fish and feathers by birds.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aggressor
  noun
• counteraggression
  noun
• preaggression
  noun
• antiaggression
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aggressions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aggression

1605–15; < Latin aggressiōn- (stem of aggressiō ), equivalent to aggress ( us ) ( see aggress) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Aggression is hostile, purposely unfriendly behavior that can sometimes be violent. A motorist who shows aggression for another may follow too closely, honk the horn, or otherwise try to intimidate. When someone deliberately tries to make another person feel intimidated or threatened, it's an act of aggression. Forceful, unfriendly behavior towards others is one example of aggression, and one country's hostile action toward another is also a kind of aggression. It's been used since the 1600s to mean "an unprovoked attack," from the Latin root word aggressionem, "attack," and in 1912 aggression was first used to mean generally "hostile behavior."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aggression aggressions

Rob Jetten, prime minister of the Netherlands, said he had spoken to Merz to convey his condolences after the "act of aggression" and said that the Dutch stood "shoulder to shoulder with our German neighbours".

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Police Scotland should be commended for acting quickly to control the disruption and minimise any threats of aggression.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Along with questioning social and sexual taboos, feminism and acts of aggression, Ono also confronts her own issues with ego from a Buddhist perspective, just as Cage had.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The TV variation of Max Cady is where the classic prestige drama Difficult Man shakes hands with a manosphere cultist’s pent-up aggression.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

He waits for Helene to slip up, taking note of the aggression in her strokes.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

In foreign policy, Podhoretz counseled that an unapologetic defense of American interests abroad is likeliest to frustrate the aggressions of bad actors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025

Such aggressions forced Pomos to disperse far from the lake, including to the North Bay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2024

Overall, bonobos engaged in 2.8 times more aggressive interactions and 3 times as many physical aggressions.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2024

A copy of Marcos’ remarks during ASEAN’s hourlong meeting with Qiang on Wednesday issued to journalists showed the Philippine president fired a veiled critique but did not raise any specific aggressions in the disputed sea.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023

It is true that the first proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine carried with it an implied offer of aid to the newly liberated Spanish-American colonies against proposed aggressions by the Holy Alliance.

From South America and the War by Kirkpatrick, F. A. (Frederick Alexander)

Related Words

• assault
• encroachment
• invasion
• offensive
• onslaught
• raid