as in belligerent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trigger-happy
The trigger-happy tradition to shoot guns in the air at midnight on New Years Eve has gone on for decades.
—
Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
With concern solidifying around Mexico’s role as a pipeline for Chinese products, the president-elect may have another reason to adopt a trigger-happy stance on duties—and a review of USMCA.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The screenplay even pays tribute to the island’s anti-fascist heritage with an elderly, trigger-happy partisan shooting from her balcony and singing Communist songs with the Mayor.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Dancing next to the procession of kids and the trigger-happy xylophone infant.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for trigger-happy
Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
With concern solidifying around Mexico’s role as a pipeline for Chinese products, the president-elect may have another reason to adopt a trigger-happy stance on duties—and a review of USMCA.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The screenplay even pays tribute to the island’s anti-fascist heritage with an elderly, trigger-happy partisan shooting from her balcony and singing Communist songs with the Mayor.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Dancing next to the procession of kids and the trigger-happy xylophone infant.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for trigger-happy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trigger-happy
Adjective
-
Russian propagandists are becoming even more belligerent now that the United States is considering harsher sanctions on Russia, while the European Union enacted them yesterday.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
-
Dear Eric: Last year my father’s funeral was ruined because of a rude and disrespectful cemetery security guard, who yelled at and became belligerent with my family for no reason.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
6 May 2025
Adjective
-
Image The often pugnacious Mr. Connolly criticized a Republican bill in 2024 to rename Dulles International Airport, some of whose employees live in his district, after Mr. Trump.—
Trip Gabriel,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
-
Paul is pugnacious, especially with the detectives when his criminal past prompts them to question him as a possible suspect.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
In 2014, war broke out in the Donbas where my family lived, and Putin’s messaging around Victory Day became much more bellicose, making my family reject the holiday ever since.—
Sasha Vasilyuk,
Time,
8 May 2025
-
Then a sudden switch: a bellicose, spine-stiffening bass line, and the instantly infamous refrain.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Little has been disclosed about the administration’s plan, which represents yet another salvo in President Trump’s combative push to reshape higher education, which has roiled academia, disrupted campus life and spilled into courts across the country.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
-
The public backing of Crockett, known for controversial statements and confrontational tactics, signals a potential shift toward more combative political messaging.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
The bottom line: Bipartisanship is the most obvious casualty of Schumer's new warlike posture toward the GOP.—
Hans Nichols,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Nonprofits focused on such issues could be seen as antagonistic to the company’s aggressive commercialization efforts.—
Hayden Field,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Merz may have taken to heart a truculent speech Vance had given days earlier at the Munich Security Conference.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Giorgia’s leadership is threatened by increasingly truculent government allies, so Arianna is overseeing the backroom process of reverting their post-Fascist party to its more tribal roots.—
Mattia Ferraresi,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Trigger-happy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trigger-happy. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share