combative
ready or inclined to fight; pugnacious: He displayed a most unpleasant, combative attitude.
Origin of combative
1Other words from combative
- com·bat·ive·ly, adverb
- com·bat·ive·ness, com·ba·tiv·i·ty [kom-buh-tiv-i-tee], /ˌkɒm bəˈtɪv ɪ ti/, noun
- un·com·bat·ive, adjective
Words Nearby combative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use combative in a sentence
It’s a sweet encapsulation of the pair’s relationship, which is mostly combative except when they’re sticking up for each other.
Watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with a 5-year-old | Emily VanDerWerff | October 30, 2020 | VoxHowever, they revealed Maxwell to have been a combative and loyal defender of Epstein, insistent at every turn that she was aware of no misdeeds by him and refusing to concede even basic information about their interactions.
Ghislaine Maxwell deposition portrays her as combative, loyal defender of sex offender Epstein | Rosalind Helderman, Shayna Jacobs, Beth Reinhard, Devlin Barrett | October 22, 2020 | Washington PostA defensive and combative Ghislaine Maxwell, the onetime partner of Jeffrey Epstein, insisted in long-sealed court testimony made public Thursday that she had no knowledge of the deceased financier having sexual contact with minors.
Ghislaine Maxwell deposition portrays her as combative, loyal defender of sex offender Epstein | Rosalind Helderman, Shayna Jacobs, Beth Reinhard, Devlin Barrett | October 22, 2020 | Washington PostErdogan’s combative response to the clashes, which saw him attack the Armenian leadership and offer full support to Azerbaijan, marks a break with previous rounds of fighting in the region.
Blunt and combative, Sargent was one of the executives at the center of the price-fixing scandal over ebooks a decade ago, but more recently had turned his fire on libraries.
One of the great enemies of the public library is departing | Aaron Pressman | September 18, 2020 | Fortune
“We know how to fight, but we need weapons,” said Duarte, whose combative spirit remains undiminished by age.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution | Nina Lakhani | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I think if you get combative and overly objecting, people are going to begin to get suspicious,” Edwards told me.
Vote for the (Alleged) Crooks! How Rick Perry, Chris Christie, and Scott Walker are Running While Under Investigation | Olivia Nuzzi | August 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen Sara took her case before a panel of faculty members, she said she found them combative and insensitive.
Columbia Announces Changes To School Sex Assault Policy | Abigail Golden | January 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs Gondry asks Chomsky about his childhood, the answer soon becomes clear: a skeptical, inquisitive, combative mind.
Like Socrates, Street Epistemologists are to understand themselves as inquisitive teachers, not combative lecturers.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers | Michael Schulson | November 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTDuring the reign of Mr. Cousins there was a rupture at the place, and many combative letters were written with reference to it.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusDick's rather combative look changed instantly into shamefacedness, and he shook hands again.
Love in a Cloud | Arlo BatesThe little woman was so combative and incisive that this always seemed a necessary precaution on the part of that gentleman.
Sevenoaks | J. G. HollandMany a woman is antagonistic, is combative, because she is forced into such a position, not because she herself desires it.
The Education of American Girls | Anna Callender BrackettIt is combative—in the sense that it shapes nature's forces—and it calls for a sense of artistry in its practitioners.
Opportunities in Engineering | Charles M. Horton
British Dictionary definitions for combative
/ (ˈkɒmbətɪv, ˈkʌm-) /
eager or ready to fight, argue, etc; aggressive
Derived forms of combative
- combatively, adverb
- combativeness, noun
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
Browse