as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a movie reviewer who is spirited, even pugnacious, when defending her opinions
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pugnacious
My room, tricked out in shades of mushroom, opened onto a hallway covered in its original wallpaper, depicting a sea battle complete with roiling water, boats full of pugnacious sailors, and, in the background, a dusky landscape of ancient ruins.
—
Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2025
Some even agreed with Kari Lake, the pugnacious advisor Trump appointed to oversee the Agency for Global Media, which provides funding for news programming abroad.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
By then, though, Orbán was governing as a pugnacious ultranationalist.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The past three years have seen Eddie Howe and his staff transform them into one of the more pugnacious and potent threats in the Premier League.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2025
Some even agreed with Kari Lake, the pugnacious advisor Trump appointed to oversee the Agency for Global Media, which provides funding for news programming abroad.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
By then, though, Orbán was governing as a pugnacious ultranationalist.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The past three years have seen Eddie Howe and his staff transform them into one of the more pugnacious and potent threats in the Premier League.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugnacious
Adjective
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Nonprofits focused on such issues could be seen as antagonistic to the company’s aggressive commercialization efforts.—
Hayden Field,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
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The 82-year-old was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer among men, with 1 in 8 being diagnosed in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.—
Sam Woodward,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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In response to the vote, Iraqi troops retook vast swathes of territory seized by Kurdish forces during their joint fight against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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In December, after years of stalemate in the war, Assad’s long-standing authoritarian regime collapsed, in the face of an unexpected offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist militant group once affiliated with al-Qaida.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Some of countries in the continent that are rich in uranium, such as Niger and Gabon, may be delicate or difficult to deal with in the near term as both underwent military coups recently, with Niger turning hostile toward the French and more toward the Russians.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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The game is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET and Pacers fans are sure to bring the energy and create a hostile atmosphere for New York.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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In that same post, Swift highlighted her contentious history with Braun, largely via his work with her longtime foe, Kanye West.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2025
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This public WiFi hijacking threat is almost as contentious as juice-jacking amongst cyber experts.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugnacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugnacious. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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