belligerence

noun

bel·lig·er·ence bə-ˈlij--ˈli-jə-rən(t)s

-ˈlij-

Synonyms of belligerence next

: an aggressive or truculent attitude, atmosphere, or disposition

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Belligerent, Belligerents, and Belligerence

Belligerent may function as either an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, it has two primary meanings, each of which corresponds to the two senses of its noun form.

The older sense (“waging war”) is generally used to refer to the actions or combatants of a nation at war, or to the nation itself ("belligerent operations"; "belligerent troops"; “the belligerent state”); it is paralleled by the earliest sense of the noun, “a nation at war” (“the belligerents assembled at the peace conference”). The second sense of belligerent (“inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness”), which usually applies to persons or animals, or to their attitudes or actions, likewise parallels the second sense of the noun (“a person taking part in a fight”). A related noun belligerence refers to “an aggressive or truculent attitude, atmosphere, or disposition” that can be either individual or global.

Examples of belligerence in a Sentence

the dominant male wolf was able to withstand the belligerence of younger challengers

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

His belligerence could come directly from the two New York tabloid heroes of his formative years in the city: John Gotti, the gangster who led the Gambino crime family, and George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees. —

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 White columnists wrote him open letters, processing their own feelings about race, alternating between flattery and belligerence. —

Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 It is founded on reasoned judgment rather than emotional belligerence. —

Michael S. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024 Beijing, meanwhile, has averted its gaze from Moscow’s belligerence in Africa while fostering new dependencies and saddling more countries with unsustainable debt. —

Antony J. Blinken, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for belligerence