pugnacious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pugnacious
First recorded in 1635–45; pugnaci(ty) (from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx combative (akin to pugil; see pugilism) + -tās -ty 2 ) + -ous
Explanation
Pugnacious means ready for a fight. If you're pugnacious, you might find it hard to make friends. On the other hand, you might be a very successful professional boxer one day. Your brother is a pugnacious thug — always ready to use his fists to settle arguments, and he has the strength to do so. That’s the literal sense of pugnacious. You can use pugnacious figuratively, too. When two candidates face off in a debate during a close election, one or the other might be pugnacious. He looks to pick a fight with his opponent and is willing to say almost anything, no matter how outrageous, to make his opponent look bad.
Vocabulary lists containing pugnacious
Of Mice and Men
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pugnacious, yearning to be a genuine theological academic, Peters struck the historian as curiously impressive in some way.
From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2020
Pugnacious in robes, rigorous in intellect, the judge liberals feared most cracked jokes and loved opera.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2017
Pugnacious, eloquent Mr Scalia can take much of the credit for that.
From Economist • Feb. 26, 2015
Pugnacious rhetoric is still protected by the First Amendment, especially in matters of public debate.
From Forbes • Aug. 14, 2014
"I" stands alone with confidence, Pugnacious, quick to take offense, Assertive, masterful and strong, Forever right and never wrong, As Lewis Carroll once avowed, "I" is extremely "stiff and proud."
From More Toasts by Mosher, Marion Dix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
