pugnacious

American

[puhg-ney-shuhs] / pʌgˈneɪ ʃəs /

adjective

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

Synonyms:

bellicose, contentious, argumentative

Antonyms:

agreeable

pugnacious British

/ pʌɡˈneɪʃəs, pʌɡˈnæsɪtɪ /

adjective

readily disposed to fight; belligerent

"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

Other Word Forms

pugnaciously adverb
pugnaciousness noun
pugnacity noun
unpugnacious adjective
unpugnaciously adverb

Etymology

Origin of pugnacious

First recorded in 1635–45; pugnaci(ty) (from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx combative (akin to pugil; pugilism ) + -tās -ty ² ) + -ous

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.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a less pugnacious message when compared with last year’s Munich conference.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Gulbadin Naib had earlier provided the backbone of Afghanistan's 182-6 with a pugnacious 63 off 35 balls.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

And no one coasts on reputation for pugnacious realism, in U.S. politics, like Mario Cuomo’s son.

From Slate • Jun. 17, 2025

Ol’ Blue Eyes at perhaps his most elegantly pugnacious.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025

His pugnacious tone indicated that they were not about to laugh at Xenophilius, despite the clear provocation.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023