combative
adjective
com·bat·ive
kəm-ˈba-tiv 
: marked by eagerness to fight or contend
combatively
adverb
combativeness
noun
Examples of combative in a Sentence
When the police tried to arrest him, he became combative.
channeling his naturally combative impulses into sports
Recent Examples on the Web
Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.
—
Adriana Gomez Licon, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
The combative Andy Robertson produced the pass of the match to release Ekitike for the equaliser and like Jones, the Scottish left-back really should keep his place at Brentford with Conor Bradley set to continue on the right after Jeremie Frimpong limped off with another hamstring injury.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Handy said those actions would make meetings less combative among board members and introduce an additional level of financial accountability.
—Sofi Zeman
october 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
In contrast to Newsom, Lurie has taken a far less combative approach to Trump since taking office in January.
—Kate Rogers, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
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Adriana Gomez Licon, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
The combative Andy Robertson produced the pass of the match to release Ekitike for the equaliser and like Jones, the Scottish left-back really should keep his place at Brentford with Conor Bradley set to continue on the right after Jeremie Frimpong limped off with another hamstring injury.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Handy said those actions would make meetings less combative among board members and introduce an additional level of financial accountability.
—Sofi Zeman
october 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
In contrast to Newsom, Lurie has taken a far less combative approach to Trump since taking office in January.
—Kate Rogers, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combative
Cite this Entry
“Combative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combative. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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