bellicose

adjective

bel·li·cose ˈbe-li-ˌkōs How to pronounce bellicose (audio)

: favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars

bellicosity

ˌbe-li-ˈkä-sə-tē How to pronounce bellicose (audio)

noun

Did you know?

Don't War Over the Meaning of Bellicose

Since bellicose describes an attitude that hopes for actual war, the word is generally applied to nations and their leaders. In the 20th century, it was commonly used to describe such figures as Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm, Italy's Benito Mussolini, and Japan's General Tojo, leaders who believed their countries had everything to gain by starting wars. The international relations of a nation with a bellicose foreign policy tend to be stormy and difficult, and bellicosity usually makes the rest of the world very uneasy.

Example Sentences

Never in peacetime, perhaps, have the statements of our government officials been more relentlessly bellicose. Yet their actions have been comparatively cautious.

New Yorker, 24 June 1985 For three centuries Viking raiders haunted western Europe. The bellicose Charlemagne himself felt menaced.

Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983 His evident calm, which always infuriated the opposition, must have irritated the bellicose colonel to a point at which he could control himself no longer.

Michael Pearson, Those Damned Rebels, 1972 bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing

Recent Examples on the Web In a flurry of steps at the summit in Madrid, which ends Thursday, President Biden and other NATO leaders sought to respond to President Vladimir V. Putin’s resurgent and bellicose Russia.

New York Times, 29 June 2022 In a flurry of steps at the summit in Madrid, which ends Thursday, President Biden and other NATO leaders sought to respond to President Vladimir Putin’s resurgent and bellicose Russia.

Michael D. Shear, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 And this in the context of bellicose words and actions from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and Kim Jong Un's ongoing nuclear rhetoric and actions in nearby North Korea.

David A. Andelman, CNN, 4 Aug. 2022 The Kim regime has grown more bellicose in recent months, with a new conservative South Korean administration planning to resume full-scale, joint military exercises with the U.S. next month.

Dasl Yoon, WSJ, 28 July 2022 The urgency of this need will become increasingly clear as Russia grows more bellicose in executing its geopolitical strategy.

Loren Thompson, Forbes, 5 May 2022 Female leaders appear to be just as bellicose as male ones, if not more so.

Grayson Quay, The Week, 29 June 2022 Taken with his bellicose rhetoric, these actions demonstrated that the world could no longer assume that the United States was committed to defending the geopolitical status quo.

Daniel Bessner, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 And Trump, beyond his bellicose and inchoate trade war against China, largely ignored the region, save for a couple of fancy dinners with Kim Jong Un.

Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2022 See More

bellicose

adjective

as in aggressive

feeling or displaying eagerness to fight bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

aggressive
militant
hostile
belligerent
warlike
assaultive
contentious
pugnacious
confrontational
irritable
combative
acidic
truculent
quarrelsome
ugly
feisty
fierce
savage
agonistic
argumentative
disputatious
vicious
discordant
chippy
gladiatorial
scrappy
rude
antagonistic
brawly
petulant
fighting
peevish
irascible
querulous
cross
warring
ornery
snappish
choleric
bilious
dyspeptic
fretful
waspish
testy
disagreeable
grouchy
surly
fractious
on the warpath
grumpy
hot-tempered
huffy
bristly
ill-tempered
crabby
stroppy
pettish
touchy
bearish
ill-humored
battling
cranky
ill-natured
prickly
snappy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

peaceable
nonbelligerent
peaceful
nonaggressive
conciliatory
unwarlike
pacific
amiable
benevolent
friendly
affable
ingratiating
genial
complaisant
antimilitarist
cordial
pleasant
gracious
easygoing
amicable
uncontentious
sociable
calm
kindhearted
anti-imperialist
quiet
uncombative
unbelligerent
serene
gentle
obliging
tranquil
benign
mild
good-natured
relaxed
good-tempered
kindly

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of bellicose are belligerent, contentious, pugnacious, and quarrelsome. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

In some situations, the words belligerent and bellicose are roughly equivalent. However, belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

Although the words contentious and bellicose have much in common, contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

The words pugnacious and bellicose can be used in similar contexts, but pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

While the synonyms quarrelsome and bellicose are close in meaning, quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

单词	bellicose
释义	bellicose adjective bel·li·cose ˈbe-li-ˌkōs : favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars bellicosity ˌbe-li-ˈkä-sə-tē noun Did you know? Don't War Over the Meaning of Bellicose Since bellicose describes an attitude that hopes for actual war, the word is generally applied to nations and their leaders. In the 20th century, it was commonly used to describe such figures as Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm, Italy's Benito Mussolini, and Japan's General Tojo, leaders who believed their countries had everything to gain by starting wars. The international relations of a nation with a bellicose foreign policy tend to be stormy and difficult, and bellicosity usually makes the rest of the world very uneasy. Synonyms aggressive agonistic argumentative assaultive belligerent brawly chippy combative confrontational contentious discordant disputatious feisty gladiatorial militant pugnacious quarrelsome scrappy truculent warlike See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Never in peacetime, perhaps, have the statements of our government officials been more relentlessly bellicose. Yet their actions have been comparatively cautious. New Yorker, 24 June 1985 For three centuries Viking raiders haunted western Europe. The bellicose Charlemagne himself felt menaced. Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983 His evident calm, which always infuriated the opposition, must have irritated the bellicose colonel to a point at which he could control himself no longer. Michael Pearson, Those Damned Rebels, 1972 bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing Recent Examples on the Web In a flurry of steps at the summit in Madrid, which ends Thursday, President Biden and other NATO leaders sought to respond to President Vladimir V. Putin’s resurgent and bellicose Russia. New York Times, 29 June 2022 In a flurry of steps at the summit in Madrid, which ends Thursday, President Biden and other NATO leaders sought to respond to President Vladimir Putin’s resurgent and bellicose Russia. Michael D. Shear, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 And this in the context of bellicose words and actions from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and Kim Jong Un's ongoing nuclear rhetoric and actions in nearby North Korea. David A. Andelman, CNN, 4 Aug. 2022 The Kim regime has grown more bellicose in recent months, with a new conservative South Korean administration planning to resume full-scale, joint military exercises with the U.S. next month. Dasl Yoon, WSJ, 28 July 2022 The urgency of this need will become increasingly clear as Russia grows more bellicose in executing its geopolitical strategy. Loren Thompson, Forbes, 5 May 2022 Female leaders appear to be just as bellicose as male ones, if not more so. Grayson Quay, The Week, 29 June 2022 Taken with his bellicose rhetoric, these actions demonstrated that the world could no longer assume that the United States was committed to defending the geopolitical status quo. Daniel Bessner, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 And Trump, beyond his bellicose and inchoate trade war against China, largely ignored the region, save for a couple of fancy dinners with Kim Jong Un. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from Latin bellicosus, from bellicus of war, from bellum war First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined above bellicose adjective as in aggressive feeling or displaying eagerness to fight bellicose hockey players who seem to spend more time fighting than playing Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance aggressive militant hostile belligerent warlike assaultive contentious pugnacious confrontational irritable combative acidic truculent quarrelsome ugly feisty fierce savage agonistic argumentative disputatious vicious discordant chippy gladiatorial scrappy rude antagonistic brawly petulant fighting peevish irascible querulous cross warring ornery snappish choleric bilious dyspeptic fretful waspish testy disagreeable grouchy surly fractious on the warpath grumpy hot-tempered huffy bristly ill-tempered crabby stroppy pettish touchy bearish ill-humored battling cranky ill-natured prickly snappy Antonyms & Near Antonyms peaceable nonbelligerent peaceful nonaggressive conciliatory unwarlike pacific amiable benevolent friendly affable ingratiating genial complaisant antimilitarist cordial pleasant gracious easygoing amicable uncontentious sociable calm kindhearted anti-imperialist quiet uncombative unbelligerent serene gentle obliging tranquil benign mild good-natured relaxed good-tempered kindly See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of bellicose are belligerent, contentious, pugnacious, and quarrelsome. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," bellicose suggests a disposition to fight. a drunk in a bellicose mood In some situations, the words belligerent and bellicose are roughly equivalent. However, belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities. belligerent nations Although the words contentious and bellicose have much in common, contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling. wearied by his contentious disposition The words pugnacious and bellicose can be used in similar contexts, but pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat. a pugnacious gangster While the synonyms quarrelsome and bellicose are close in meaning, quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause. the heat made us all quarrelsome
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bellicose

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adjective

Synonym Chooser