belligerent

[ buh-lij-er-uhnt ]
/ bəˈlɪdʒ ər ənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR belligerent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

warlike; given to waging war.
of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose: a belligerent tone.
waging war; engaged in war: a peace treaty between belligerent powers.
pertaining to war or to those engaged in war: belligerent rights.

noun

a state or nation at war.
a member of the military forces of such a state.

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to become acquainted with; be introduced to.
to ward off.
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Origin of belligerent

1570–80; < Latin belliger waging war (belli-, combining form of bellum war + ger-, base of gerere to conduct) + -ent; replacing belligerant < Latin belligerant- (stem of belligerāns, present participle of belligerāre to wage war; see -ant)

OTHER WORDS FROM belligerent

bel·lig·er·ent·ly, adverbin·ter·bel·lig·er·ent, adjectiveun·bel·lig·er·ent, adjectiveun·bel·lig·er·ent·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH belligerent

belligerence belligerents

Words nearby belligerent

bellicose, bellied, belligerati, belligerence, belligerency, belligerent, belling, bellingham, bellingshausen, bellingshausen sea, bellini
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to belligerent

combative, contentious, hostile, quarrelsome, ornery, bellicose, antagonistic, aggressive, militant, flip, fighting, mean, ardent, cantankerous, fierce, hot, hot-tempered, pugnacious, truculent, warlike

Example sentences from the Web for belligerent

British Dictionary definitions for belligerent

belligerent
/ (bɪˈlɪdʒərənt) /

adjective

marked by readiness to fight or argue; aggressivea belligerent tone
relating to or engaged in a legally recognized war or warfare

noun

a person or country engaged in fighting or war

Word Origin for belligerent

C16: from Latin belliger, from bellum war + gerere to wage
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