combative

[ kuh m-bat-iv, kom-buh-tiv, kuhm- ]

/ kəmˈbæt ɪv, ˈkɒm bə tɪv, ˈkʌm- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR combative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

ready or inclined to fight; pugnacious: He displayed a most unpleasant, combative attitude.

Nearby words

Origin of combative

First recorded in 1825–35; combat + -ive

Related formscom·bat·ive·ly, adverbcom·bat·ive·ness, com·ba·tiv·i·ty

[kom-buh-tiv-i-tee] /ˌkɒm bəˈtɪv ɪ ti/, nounun·com·bat·ive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for combative

“I think if you get combative and overly objecting, people are going to begin to get suspicious,” Edwards told me.
Vote for the (Alleged) Crooks! How Rick Perry, Chris Christie, and Scott Walker are Running While Under Investigation|Olivia Nuzzi|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Sara took her case before a panel of faculty members, she said she found them combative and insensitive.
Columbia Announces Changes To School Sex Assault Policy|Abigail Golden|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Gondry asks Chomsky about his childhood, the answer soon becomes clear: a skeptical, inquisitive, combative mind.
What Is Michel Gondry Doing With Noam Chomsky?|Jimmy So|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Like Socrates, Street Epistemologists are to understand themselves as inquisitive teachers, not combative lecturers.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers|Michael Schulson|November 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Lubetsky explained that students who found Cruz combative may have simply been seeing what made Cruz so successful as a debater.
Ted Cruz at Princeton: Creepy, Sometimes Well Liked, and Exactly the Same|Patricia Murphy|August 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For Mr. Adams was by nature not only independent, but resentful and combative.
John Quincy Adams|John. T. Morse
He had the head of a gladiator, round; compact, combative, with something alert and snake-like in its movements.
The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Volume III.(of III) 1574-84|John Lothrop Motley
I had passed through the sad stage, and now entered upon the combative period of the disease.
The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. II.(of II)|Charles James Lever
At this moment he sat silent—a rock against which the noisy waves of a combative Bible-reader were breaking in rude foam.
Robert Falconer|George MacDonald
The combative pretensions of the governor had received a severe shock.
Drake, Nelson and Napoleon|Walter Runciman

British Dictionary definitions for combative

combative

/ (ˈkɒmbətɪv, ˈkʌm-) /

adjective

eager or ready to fight, argue, etc; aggressive

Derived Formscombatively, adverbcombativeness, noun

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 combative

combative

adj.

1819, from combat + -ive. In 1820s-30s, much associated with phrenology. Related: Combatively; combativeness (1815).

combative

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of combative

Examples from the Web for combative

combative

adjective

combative