pugnacity

American  

[puhg-nas-i-tee] / pʌgˈnæs ɪ ti /

Also pugnaciousness

noun

1. readiness to quarrel or fight; combative or argumentative character.

   She was always defending him against the fallout from his pugnacity and lack of social graces.

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Etymology

Origin of pugnacity

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx “combative” + -tās -ty ² ( def. )

Explanation

Pugnacity, or a natural disposition to be aggressive or belligerent, isn't considered a flattering quality for a person to have. Then again, if you're a boxer, politician, or lawyer, that feistiness might actually come in handy. Pugnacity comes from the Latin word pugnare, which means to fight. The word pugnacity almost looks like it has the word "nasty" in it, which is fitting since a pugnacious person is one who can be nasty or belligerent. Another way to remember its meaning is to associate the word "city" tucked inside it, with the nature of cities, where people are known to be unfriendly and kind of aggressive.

Example Sentences

Pugnacity from Moscow and aerial assaults by Iran and Iraq on shipping in the Persian Gulf naturally prompted concern, even skittishness.

From Time Magazine Archive

Between Passivity and Pugnacity To some extent, the military is also a victim of the general concern over powerlessness in the face of huge, impersonal, Kafkaesque institutions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Pugnacity, greed, mere excitement, the contagion of a crowd, will fill the streets of almost any capital with a shouting and jubilant mob on the day after a war has been declared.

From Outspoken Essays by Inge, William Ralph

Pugnacity, or the Fighting Impulse.—Almost every normal child is a natural fighter, just as every adult should possess the spirit of conquest.

From The Mind and Its Education by Betts, George Herbert

Pugnacity need not be thought of merely in the form of physical combativeness.

From Talks To Teachers On Psychology; And To Students On Some Of Life's Ideals by James, William