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
That would be offering leaks to Above the Law, a pugnacious legal industry website best known for scoops about law firm annual bonuses, snarky coverage of legal news and salacious stories of barristers behaving badly.
—
Elizabeth Williamson, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Expect more extraterrestrial viruses, gobs of green goo, pugnacious parasites, ailing hybrid creatures, and the controversial prospect of a new mind control therapy.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
As the documentary captures, Billy Joel arrived as a romantic pop star who was also a pugnacious fighter.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 June 2025
Beyond Schenn’s goal scoring touch and physical, pugnacious style of play; Schenn would potentially offer some sneaky value to a Canadian franchise acquiring him this summer.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Elizabeth Williamson, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Expect more extraterrestrial viruses, gobs of green goo, pugnacious parasites, ailing hybrid creatures, and the controversial prospect of a new mind control therapy.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
As the documentary captures, Billy Joel arrived as a romantic pop star who was also a pugnacious fighter.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 June 2025
Beyond Schenn’s goal scoring touch and physical, pugnacious style of play; Schenn would potentially offer some sneaky value to a Canadian franchise acquiring him this summer.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugnacious
Adjective
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And signs have emerged that the White House may be misreading Trump’s election mandate and the political moment, with new polls showing public sentiment turning nationwide on the president’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
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Putin would hit them through relentless cyber attacks and increasingly aggressive military moves on their borders.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023, according to rights groups.—
Ali Sawafta,
USA Today,
13 July 2025
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Buhari vowed to do more to fight militant groups and fix the economy as the demonstrations turned deadly and continued to simmer for the remainder of his presidency.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Forced to work in a more hostile environment than.when it was first established in 2019, the mission faces limited options for evacuations due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights, and mobility, because of gangs’ ongoing gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
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From retail shops to corner bodegas and independent grocery stores, the past few years have not only forced small business owners to confront staggering economic challenges, but also a needlessly hostile regulatory environment brought on by out-of-touch policymakers.—
Tosha Miller,
New York Daily News,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Trump paused weapons shipments to Ukraine after a contentious meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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With billions allocated for new hiring, the scale of ICE's growth could reshape immigration enforcement for years to come and will likely remain at the center of a contentious national debate.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugnacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugnacious. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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