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truculent

[truhk-yuh-luhnt, troo-kyuh-]
adjective
  1. fierce; cruel; savagely brutal.
  2. brutally harsh; vitriolic; scathing: his truculent criticism of her work.
  3. aggressively hostile; belligerent.
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Origin of truculent

1530–40; < Latin truculentus, equivalent to truc-, stem of trux savage, pitiless + -ulentus -ulent
Related formstruc·u·lence, truc·u·len·cy, nountruc·u·lent·ly, adverb

Synonyms

1. See fierce.

Antonyms

1. amiable, gentle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for truculently

Historical Examples

  • Ultimately, truculently, first one and then another angrily agreed.

    Pariah Planet

    Murray Leinster

  • It may be a fraud yet,' he said truculently, 'and it will require investigation.'

    Peter and Jane

    S. (Sarah) Macnaughtan

  • "They better not call ME that," returned Penrod truculently.

    Penrod

    Booth Tarkington

  • He eyed Gash Tuttle truculently, as though daring him to be game.

    Local Color

    Irvin S. Cobb

  • "We'll settle that other little thing first," Ingerson broke in truculently.

    Pirates' Hope

    Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for truculently

truculent

adjective
  1. defiantly aggressive, sullen, or obstreperous
  2. archaic savage, fierce, or harsh
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Derived Formstruculence or truculency, nountruculently, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from Latin truculentus, from trux fierce
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 truculently

truculent

adj.

1540s, from Latin truculentus "fierce, savage," from trux (genitive trucis) "fierce, wild."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper