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belligerence

American  
[buh-lij-er-uhns] / bəˈlɪdʒ ər əns /

noun

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

  2. an act of carrying on war; warfare.

belligerence British  
/ bɪˈlɪdʒərəns /

noun

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of belligerence

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

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.

Last week we saw them win with panache, this week we saw them win through belligerence and character.

From BBC

The belligerence partially stems from China’s own problems, such as slowing economic growth, a real-estate bubble, flagging domestic consumption and rising unemployment, especially among the young.

From The Wall Street Journal

Under international law, none of these three steps would constitute escalated belligerence.

From The Wall Street Journal

As things heat up, a few have taken the belligerence offline too.

From BBC

As in, they'll be so desperate to keep the series alive in Melbourne on Saturday they'll metamorphose into a team of belligerence and belief - a band of brothers who will blow the Lions away.

From BBC

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.