combative
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does combative mean? Combative means inclined to fight or prone to being argumentative. It’s especially used to describe someone who has become defensive and is disputing things in a belligerent way. It’s not commonly applied to someone who’s prone to starting physical fights. It can also be used to describe situations in which someone or multiple people are acting this way, such as a combative press conference or a combative meeting. The word combatant is commonly used as a noun meaning one of the sides engaged in a fight, but it can also be used as an adjective meaning the same thing as combative. Example: The senator became combative when faced with some tough questions during the town hall meeting.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of combative
Explanation
Someone combative likes to fight, whether with fists or words. See the word combat in combative? That's a clue to this word's meaning. Since combat is a type of fighting — usually in war — anyone described as combative likes to fight or just can't help getting in fights. A frequent barroom brawler is combative, but so is someone who is always starting arguments. Using swear words and constantly contradicting people could be considered combative behavior. People who are combative are also often described as hostile, angry, or pugnacious.
Vocabulary lists containing combative
All My Sons
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Dragon Hoops
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Hurricane Child
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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.
For years, Adhikari cultivated the image of a combative organiser with a sharp instinct for power and an ability to turn Bengal's shifting political currents to his advantage.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
However, in contrast to Europe, where the president has questioned the mutual defense provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the administration has taken a less combative approach to its partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
It gave no reason for his sudden departure, the latest removal of a senior officer under Trump's combative Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
James Taranto, who edits those pages, responded with a combative piece.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
Chapman had called in the state attorney general's office to help defend Walter's conviction, and they'd sent Assistant Attorney General Don Valeska, a longtime prosecutor with a reputation for being intense and combative.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
