aggressively

American  

[uh-gres-iv-lee] / əˈgrɛs ɪv li /

adverb

1. in an aggressive, militant, or menacing manner.

   The orders were to root out the entrenched rebels, swiftly and aggressively.

2. in a highly competitive manner; with an aggressive effort to win.

   The series was aggressively played by both teams.

3. in a vigorously or forcefully enterprising manner; ambitiously.

   an aggressively marketed line of cosmetics.

4. in a pushy or boldly assertive manner.

   They continue to lobby aggressively for a safer workplace.

5. Medicine/Medical.

   1. (of a disease’s or tumor’s viability) in a rapid and vigorous, highly invasive manner.

      The cancer has aggressively branched out to his lower intestine.

   2. in a highly potent, therapeutic, but risky manner, intended to destroy malignancy.

      Can the treatment aggressively target the tumor without harming healthy tissue?

6. (of a plant’s growth habit) with an undesirable tendency to spread rapidly, especially where unwanted.

   Wild lotuses have aggressively flourished in both ponds, much to the dismay of local canoeists.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unaggressively
  adverb
• nonaggressively
  adverb
• overaggressively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of aggressively

First recorded in 1790–95; aggressive ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

When you do something aggressively, you act in a forceful and often hostile way. Aggressively tackling someone in football is generally fine, but aggressively shoving to the front of a line is not. The adverb aggressively means "with aggression" or "in a combative or threatening way." Think of military troops moving aggressively into enemy territory. You can also use this word in a slightly gentler way to describe something done forcefully or assertively: "They're marketing their cupcakes so aggressively — I see those ads everywhere I go!"

Example Sentences

He scaled up aggressively at what was then called Barn Hill Preserve, adding a safari park and animal encounters like swimming with otters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

If, for whatever reason, the gold price breaks below that level, the next key support level is $4,376, where buyers aggressively came in at the end of March, causing a quick pop.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Advocates warn that until federal regulators crack down more aggressively on opt-out fee models, the burden will remain entirely on everyday consumers to audit their own bills for junk fees.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

The 28-year-old, who celebrates his birthday on Tuesday, played aggressively from the baseline and it almost paid dividends as he looked to break for 5-4.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

The new rulers of Mutal had aggressively thrown their weight around and by Sky Witness’s time controlled as much as eight thousand square miles.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann