Dictionary.com

belligerent

[ buh-lij-er-uhnt ]
/ bəˈlɪdʒ ər ənt /
See synonyms for: belligerent / belligerents 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.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?
Question 1 of 10
seclusion
a false belief or opinion.
the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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