belligerent
Use Belligerent in a sentence
ər adjective
1.
warlike; given to waging war.
2.
of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose: a belligerent tone.
3.
waging war; engaged in war: a peace treaty between belligerent powers.
4.
pertaining to war or to those engaged in war: belligerent rights.
noun
5.
a state or nation at war.
6.
a member of the military forces of such a state.
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Belligerent
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Origin:
1570–80; < Latin belliger waging war (belli-, combining form of bellum war + ger-, base of gerere to conduct) + -ent; replacing belligerant < Latin belligerant- (stem of belligerāns, present participle of belligerāre to wage war; see -ant)
1570–80; < Latin belliger waging war (belli-, combining form of bellum war + ger-, base of gerere to conduct) + -ent; replacing belligerant < Latin belligerant- (stem of belligerāns, present participle of belligerāre to wage war; see -ant)
Related forms
bel·lig·er·ent·ly, adverb
in·ter·bel·lig·er·ent, adjective
un·bel·lig·er·ent, adjective
un·bel·lig·er·ent·ly, adverb
Synonyms
2. pugnacious, truculent, combative, quarrelsome, antagonistic, contentious.
2. pugnacious, truculent, combative, quarrelsome, antagonistic, contentious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To belligerent
Collins
World English Dictionary
belligerent (bɪˈlɪdʒərənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | marked by readiness to fight or argue; aggressive: a belligerent tone |
| 2. | relating to or engaged in a legally recognized war or warfare |
| —n | |
| 3. | a person or country engaged in fighting or war |
| [C16: from Latin belliger, from bellum war + gerere to wage] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
belligerent
1570s, from L. belligerantem (nom. belligerans), pp. of belligerare "to wage war," from bellum "war" + gerere "to bear, to carry." The noun meaning "party or nation at war" is from 1811. Related: Belligerence; belligerency.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
If we can't find a way to reconnect Congress to the people we will wallow in self pity and become belligerent.
Call the police only if a violator becomes threatening or belligerent.
He walks about with a bearish crouch that grows more belligerent as his domestic situation becomes both familiar and oppressive.
He hangs in every building, in every city intersection, large and wide and belligerent over the streets.
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