belligerence

[ buh-lij-er-uh ns ]

/ bəˈlɪdʒ ər əns /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR belligerence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a warlike or aggressively hostile nature, condition, or attitude.

an act of carrying on war; warfare.

Nearby words

bellhanger, bellhop, bellicose, bellied, belligerati, belligerence, belligerency, belligerent, belling, bellingham, bellingshausen

Origin of belligerence

First recorded in 1805–15; belliger(ent) + -ence

Can be confused

belligerence belligerents

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for belligerence

Grayson himself sees little political downside to his belligerence.
The Democrats' Joe Wilson?|Benjamin Sarlin|October 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
As a Marine, I learned that peace is predicated on compromise, not superior firepower or belligerence.
Mission Accomplished?|Zachary Iscol|June 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Belligerence, mere combativeness, is a masculine attribute; but courage is not.
The home|Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Muriel Harding shrewdly surveyed the scene before her, a glint of belligerence in her eyes.
Marjorie Dean College Freshman|Pauline Lester

When you feel in a fighting mood, I wish you would expend your belligerence upon me.
Dear Enemy|Jean Webster
Parker glanced at her with a broad hint of belligerence in his keen gray eyes.
The Pride of Palomar|Peter B. Kyne
She seized her skirts with both hands and advanced upon the lady from Ypsilanti with belligerence.
The Corner House Girls|Grace Brooks Hill

British Dictionary definitions for belligerence

belligerence

/ (bɪˈlɪdʒərəns) /

noun

the act or quality of being belligerent or warlike; aggressiveness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

belligerence

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of belligerence

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for belligerence

British Dictionary definitions for belligerence

belligerence

noun