aggressor

[uh-gres-er]

noun

1. a person, group, or nation that attacks first or initiates hostilities; an assailant or invader.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aggressor¹

1670–80; < Late Latin, Latin aggred- (stem of aggredī to attack; aggress ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Much depends, Mr Haqqani notes, on how the pact defines "aggression" and "aggressor" and whether Riyadh and Islamabad see eye to eye.

From BBC

“The attempt to uphold these personal liberty laws and simultaneously the government’s attempts to take these Black fugitives led to violence, and to perceptions that the so-called slave-power was the aggressor,” Waite said.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, Algeria's ambassador Amar Bendjama said the Security Council remained "constrained" as it was "unable even to name the aggressor, to qualify aggression as a violation of international law".

From BBC

Her aggressor, who was 21, received a lighter sentence of six months.

From BBC

But jurors believed Cardi B’s version of events, which was that Ellis was the aggressor.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assailant 
• intruder www.thesaurus.com
• invader www.thesaurus.com
• trespasser www.thesaurus.com