pugnacious

[ puhg-ney-shuhs ]
/ pʌgˈneɪ ʃəs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR pugnacious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.

Origin of pugnacious

1635–45; pugnaci(ty) (< Latin pugnācitās combativeness, equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx combative (akin to pugil; see pugilism) + -tās -ty2) + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM pugnacious

Words nearby pugnacious

pugilism, pugilist, pugin, puglia, pugmark, pugnacious, pugree, pugwash conferences, puh-leeze, puha, puir

Words related to pugnaciousness

aggression, aggressiveness, attack, backbone, bellicosity, belligerence, belligerency, boldness, gameness, hardihood, mettle, militancy, pluck, pugnacity, resistance, spirit, truculence, truculency, abhorrence, animosity

Example sentences from the Web for pugnaciousness

  • When they began feeding upon the tiny forms of life found in the creek, the Bully soon gained a reputation for pugnaciousness.

    Days in the Open |Lathan A. Crandall

  • If they fought back, the pugnaciousness was knocked out of them at once.

    Police Your Planet |Lester del Rey

  • One evening the latter thought fit to twit him with his pugnaciousness.

    An Englishman in Paris |Albert D. (Albert Dresden) Vandam

British Dictionary definitions for pugnaciousness

pugnacious
/ (pʌɡˈneɪʃəs) /

adjective

readily disposed to fight; belligerent

Derived forms of pugnacious

pugnaciously, adverb pugnacity (pʌɡˈnæsɪtɪ) or pugnaciousness, noun

Word Origin for pugnacious

C17: from Latin pugnāx