pugnacious

[ puhg-ney-shuhs ]

/ pʌgˈneɪ ʃəs /

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See synonyms for: pugnacious / pugnaciousness / pugnacity on Thesaurus.com

adjective

inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.

OTHER WORDS FOR pugnacious

argumentative, contentious, bellicose.

See synonyms for pugnacious on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR pugnacious

agreeable.

See antonyms for pugnacious on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of pugnacious

First recorded in 1635–45; pugnaci(ty) (from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx combative (akin to pugil; see pugilism) + -tās -ty²) + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM pugnacious

pug·na·cious·ly, adverbpug·nac·i·ty

[puhg-nas-i-tee], /pʌgˈnæs ɪ ti/, pug·na·cious·ness, nounun·pug·na·cious, adjectiveun·pug·na·cious·ly, adverb

Words nearby pugnacious

pugil stick, Pugin, Puglia, pugmark, pug mill, pugnacious, pugnacity, pug nose, pugree, Pugwash conferences, puha

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pugnacious in a sentence

His tenacity in conducting rigorous experiments and his pugnacious public promotion of his findings established the germ theory of disease and encouraged new methods of hygiene.
Here are the Top 10 science anniversaries of 2022|Tom Siegfried|January 28, 2022|Science News
This includes a pugnacious grill, menacing headlights and sleek LED taillights.
Surprise rides of 2022|Joe Phillips|January 23, 2022|Washington Blade
Rumsfeld was more complex and paradoxical than the public caricature of him as a pugnacious, inflexible villain would suggest.
Donald H. Rumsfeld, influential but controversial Bush defense secretary, dies at 88|Bradley Graham|June 30, 2021|Washington Post
It all ended badly last October when Glenn Greenwald, the pugnacious, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, quit the investigative news site he had co-founded six years earlier.
Glenn Greenwald may have quit the Intercept, but he can’t quit the feud|Paul Farhi|May 21, 2021|Washington Post

To be sure, the pugnacious poet had his moments of assurance.
Two centuries after John Keats’s death, his famous odes are still sparking new discussions|Troy Jollimore|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
He said that on the whole he got a better reception from Republicans, especially the pugnacious Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
Should the U.S. Arm Ukraine’s Militias?|Jamie Dettmer|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Joe Sutter is 93 now, silver-haired and moving a tad more slowly than he would like, but still pugnacious and sharp of tongue.
The Sexy Dream of the 747|Clive Irving|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is a pugnacious writer and speaker himself, well used to picking intellectual fights.
Atheist King Richard Dawkins’ Rape Fantasy|Tim Teeman|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And typically, the pugnacious New Jerseyan refuses to back away.
A Thinner Chris Christie Still Faces Big Political Challenges|Robert Shrum|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An early Zionist leader, prideful, pugnacious, Ussishkin headed the Jewish National Fund for nearly 20 years.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz Is Not The Name Of A Street|Gershom Gorenberg|April 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Supported by Thurstane's pugnacious presence and hurried up by his vehement orders, they began to fire.
Overland|John William De Forest
He had never, in all his pugnacious and sanguinary life, looked upon anything so fascinating.
Overland|John William De Forest
It was not the headlong, reckless, pugnacious rage of the old Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian berserker.
Overland|John William De Forest
"Get about your own business and leave us alone," advised the pugnacious chap.
Frank Merriwell's Pursuit|Burt L. Standish
The Scotch are certainly a most pugnacious people; their whole history proves it.
Lavengro|George Borrow

British Dictionary definitions for pugnacious

pugnacious

/ (pʌɡˈneɪʃəs) /

adjective

readily disposed to fight; belligerent

Derived forms of pugnacious

pugnaciously, adverbpugnacity (pʌɡˈnæsɪtɪ) or pugnaciousness, noun

Word Origin for pugnacious

C17: from Latin pugnāx

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

pugnacious

OTHER WORDS FOR pugnacious

OPPOSITES FOR pugnacious

Origin of pugnacious

OTHER WORDS FROM pugnacious

Words nearby pugnacious

Words related to pugnacious

How to use pugnacious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pugnacious

Derived forms of pugnacious

Word Origin for pugnacious