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belligerent

[ buh-lij-er-uhnt ]
/ bəˈlɪdʒ ər ənt /
||

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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Nearby words

  1. bellicose,
  2. bellied,
  3. belligerati,
  4. belligerence,
  5. belligerency,
  6. belling,
  7. bellingham,
  8. bellingshausen,
  9. bellingshausen sea,
  10. bellingshausen, fabian gottlieb von

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)
Related formsbel·lig·er·ent·ly, adverbin·ter·bel·lig·er·ent, adjectiveun·bel·lig·er·ent, adjectiveun·bel·lig·er·ent·ly, adverb
Can be confusedbelligerence belligerents
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for belligerently

British Dictionary definitions for belligerently

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

Word Origin and History for belligerently

belligerent

adj.

1570s, from Latin belligerantem (nominative belligerans), past participle of belligerare "to wage war," from bellum "war" (see bellicose) + gerere "to bear, to carry" (see gest). The noun meaning "party or nation at war" is from 1811. Related: Belligerently.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper