belligerent
- 01 C1 Advanced
adj.behaving in a very unfriendly and aggressive way, as if you want to start a fight or an argument.
adj.exhibiting an aggressively hostile or combative attitude in social or professional interactions.
Simple“The customer became belligerent when the manager refused to give him a refund.”
In context“The witness grew increasingly belligerent under cross-examination, responding to the lawyer's questions with sharp, defensive retorts.”
Teacher's tipIn everyday English, this is most often used to describe someone who is angry and looking for a confrontation, often due to alcohol or stress.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
adj.belonging to a country or group that is currently fighting a war.
adj.engaged in active warfare; specifically used in international law to describe nations at war.
Simple“The two belligerent nations finally agreed to meet for peace talks.”
In context“International observers were sent to the border to ensure that neither belligerent party violated the terms of the ceasefire.”
UsageOften used in political or legal contexts to distinguish fighting parties from neutral ones.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a person, group, or country that is taking part in a war.
n.a state or other entity recognised as a participant in a conflict under international law.
Simple“The treaty required all belligerents to withdraw their troops from the disputed territory.”
In context“The Geneva Conventions establish specific protections for non-combatants that must be respected by all belligerents in a conflict.”
UsageThis noun form is almost exclusively found in academic, legal, or historical writing.
“Kim, the North has become increasingly belligerent toward the South.”
From Latin belligerans (“waging war”), present active participle of belligerō (“I wage war”), from belliger (“waging war, warlike”), from bellum (“war”) + -ger (from gerō (“I lead, wage, carry on”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.