pugnaciously
1
8.8
- adverb
- /pʌɡˈneɪʃəsli/
- "You call the cops, son?" The banker stuck his chin out pugnaciously.
Examples
-
"Me," Sophie said pugnaciously.
Fiction book (1993) -
And he says that when we act pugnaciously, injuriously, angrily, rudely, we're acting like a wild beast.
-
The child stared up at him pugnaciously, a bit doubtful but wanting to agree.
Fiction book (2002) -
He leered pugnaciously at the hired help as he covered the options.
Fiction book (1990) -
"I'm going lawbound," he said, sticking his jaw out pugnaciously.
Fiction book (1993) -
He leaned with both hands on Flanders's desk and thrust himself forward pugnaciously, as if he might bite off the lawyer's head.
Fiction book (1990) -
The older Hook, never willing to back down from a fight—indeed, pugnaciously seeking out conflict—sacrificed professional prestige and put off academic work to combat communism.
Academic text (1996) -
The Segals and Dehmlow first cited this source in July 1988 in Streitbarer Materialismus: Militant Materialism, a pugnaciously Marxist West German journal.
Academic text (2013) -
She raised her fists pugnaciously, ready to defend herself against any insult.
-
The debate quickly turned heated as he argued pugnaciously for his viewpoint.
Synonyms
128
4.9
In a forceful way that shows readiness to attack or argue
68
3.7
In a very strong way that shows energy or anger
39
2.8
In a harsh, angry way when speaking to someone
23
4.0
In a way that tries to attack or gain advantage over others
11
5.6
In a very strong and angry way
6
8.1
In a loud, forceful way that shows strong feeling
3
7.7
In a loud, harsh way that sounds unpleasant
2
7.6
In an angry and unfriendly way that shows you want to fight
2
7.5
In a forceful way that shows someone is ready to fight for a cause
1
7.0
You speak in a way that shows you like to disagree with others
1
9.8
In an angry, aggressive way that rejects other people's ideas
1
9.1
In a grumpy way that argues with others or refuses to cooperate
1
7.1
In a way that shows you are ready to argue or fight
1
9.9
In a way that often argues with others or challenges their ideas
1
8.4
Act in a way that shows they will fight or argue
1
7.5
Being forceful and pushy, ignoring other people's views
Antonyms
How Combative
Surface Forms
Morphology
pugnaciously = pugnacious (transparent) = pugnacious + ly
Straightforward adverbial formation from the adjective 'pugnacious' using the productive suffix '-ly'.
Etymology
Pugnaciously comes from the Latin root pugnare, which means 'to fight', and from pugnus, meaning 'fist'. Think of someone ready to throw a punch: to act pugnaciously is to be eager to argue or fight.