as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
the dominant male wolf was able to withstand the belligerence of younger challengers
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Recent Examples of belligerence
Australia’s defense spending exceeds the two-percent threshold and the country has big increases planned for the future, but defense experts in Australia have warned that these increases are all scheduled several years from now, which may be too late to deter Chinese belligerence in the near term.
—
Michael Green, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2024
His belligerence could come directly from the two New York tabloid heroes of his formative years in the city: John Gotti, the gangster who led the Gambino crime family, and George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
White columnists wrote him open letters, processing their own feelings about race, alternating between flattery and belligerence.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
It is founded on reasoned judgment rather than emotional belligerence.
—Michael S. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for belligerence 
Michael Green, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2024
His belligerence could come directly from the two New York tabloid heroes of his formative years in the city: John Gotti, the gangster who led the Gambino crime family, and George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
White columnists wrote him open letters, processing their own feelings about race, alternating between flattery and belligerence.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
It is founded on reasoned judgment rather than emotional belligerence.
—Michael S. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for belligerence
Thesaurus Entries Near belligerence
Cite this Entry
“Belligerence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belligerence. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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