assaultive

adjective

as·​sault·​ive ə-ˈsȯl-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or tending toward assault

assaultive behavior

2

: having an intense or abrasive effect on the senses or emotions

loud and assaultive music

assaultively adverb

assaultiveness noun

Synonyms

• aggressive
• agonistic
• argumentative
• bellicose
• belligerent
• brawly
• chippy
• combative
• confrontational
• contentious
• discordant
• disputatious
• feisty
• gladiatorial
• militant
• pugnacious
• quarrelsome
• scrappy
• truculent
• warlike

Examples of assaultive in a Sentence

with viciously assaultive prose the writer takes on her critics

Recent Examples on the Web

Even in the face of assaultive public opinion, there is nothing to add. —Paolo Armelli, WIRED, 1 Aug. 2024

How many times, in the throes of his illness, had he been taken into custody by police, accused of lewd or assaultive behavior, and locked in psych wards, only to be let out within days? —Omari Daniels, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023

The prosecutor also argued the incident was not the first for Veney involving alcohol or assaultive behavior. —Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 14 July 2023

Among the offenses that don't qualify for a ticket and require an arrest are serious misdemeanors, assaultive crimes and offenses involving domestic violence. —Angie Jackson, Detroit Free Press, 1 Apr. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1