# aggressive

/əˈɡɹɛsɪv/ (US) · /ɐɡɹˈɛsɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/aggressive
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. angry or violent

adjective · CEFR B1

behaving in an angry or violent way towards others.

For teachers: characterised by physical or verbal hostility; prone to unprovoked attacks or confrontation.

- The dog became aggressive whenever a stranger walked past the garden fence.
- The suspect's aggressive behaviour toward the officers necessitated a formal de-escalation procedure before the interview could proceed.

### 2. determined to succeed

adjective · CEFR B2

using a lot of effort and force to get what you want or to win.

For teachers: marked by driving energy or initiative; pursuing goals with forceful or competitive methods.

- The company launched an aggressive marketing campaign to win new customers.
- To secure a dominant market share, the startup adopted an aggressive pricing strategy that undercut its more established competitors.

### 3. high risk for high reward

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

involving a lot of risk in order to make a large profit.

For teachers: characterised by high-risk investment strategies aimed at maximising capital appreciation.

- He chose an aggressive investment plan because he wanted his money to grow quickly.
- The fund manager recommended an aggressive portfolio heavily weighted toward emerging tech stocks, despite the inherent volatility of that sector.

### 4. spreading quickly

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describing a disease that spreads very fast through the body.

For teachers: tending to spread quickly and severely; virulent or malignant in progression.

- The doctors started treatment immediately because it was an aggressive form of cancer.
- The patient was diagnosed with an aggressive bacterial infection that required intravenous antibiotics and constant monitoring.

### 5. an angry person

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal

a person who behaves in a violent or forceful way.

For teachers: an individual who initiates a confrontation or displays habitual hostility.

- In this conflict, it was difficult to tell who the original aggressive was.
- The treaty was designed to penalise the aggressive by imposing strict economic sanctions on any nation that crossed the border.

## Examples

- The salesman was too aggressive and made the customers feel uncomfortable.
- The company launched an aggressive marketing campaign to capture a larger share of the market before the holidays.
- While an aggressive investment strategy may yield significant short-term gains, it also exposes the portfolio to substantial volatility that more conservative investors might find intolerable.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.