belligerent
Americanadjective
-
warlike; given to waging war.
-
of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose.
a belligerent tone.
- Synonyms:
- contentious, antagonistic, quarrelsome, combative, truculent, pugnacious
-
waging war; engaged in war.
a peace treaty between belligerent powers.
-
pertaining to war or to those engaged in war.
belligerent rights.
noun
-
belligerents
plural
-
a state or nation at war.
-
a member of the military forces of such a state.
adjective
-
marked by readiness to fight or argue; aggressive
a belligerent tone
-
relating to or engaged in a legally recognized war or warfare
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of belligerent
First recorded in 1570–80; earlier belligerant, from Latin belligerant-, stem of belligerāns “waging war,” present participle of belligerāre “to wage war,” verb derivative of belliger “warlike,” from belli- (combining form of bellum, earlier duellum “war”; cf. duel ( def. )) + ger(ere) “to carry, conduct, display”
Explanation
If someone is belligerent, they're eager to fight. It's a good idea to avoid hardcore hockey fans after their team loses — they tend to be belligerent. Belligerent comes from the Latin word bellum, for "war." You can use it to talk about actual wars — the nations taking part in a war are called belligerents — but usually belligerent describes a psychological disposition. If you're running a school for aggressive boys, do plenty of arts and crafts to prevent them from becoming too belligerent. The stress is on the second syllable: bə-LIJ-ə-rənt.
Vocabulary lists containing belligerent
List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
If he weren’t so visibly exhausted, he’d probably be a lot more belligerent.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
A recent report by Mexico’s Attorney General’s office says the Mayitos have “shown a more belligerent profile” than their opponents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Lescure, the French finance minister who chaired a gathering of G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors on Thursday, said the seven countries were in agreement on the belligerent power in the Middle East: Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Colombo would follow the Hague Convention, the official added, noting it says that "a neutral power which receives on its territory troops belonging to the belligerent armies shall intern them".
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026
Even the lowly weed pullers had boasted a belligerent name: The Mechanized Offensive Brigade.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Mecca, nestled in Saudi Arabia’s western mountains, is within range of Iranian missiles and drones, but it is far from the locus of fighting in the Persian Gulf and generally considered off-limits by the belligerents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
Perhaps the belligerents realized that attacking this critical infrastructure threatened to create a catastrophic humanitarian disaster.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
"Canada reaffirms that international law binds all belligerents," he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
Under the laws of war, that does not automatically make them belligerents.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
The facts were clear to all belligerents: the final conquest would come from the sky.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
