territorial
18
5.7
- adjective
- /ˌtɛrɪˈtɔriəl/
:
territorial
- All right, so he puts that Crest up when he's really excited or when he's being territorial or when he's trying to impress a lady.
- territorial males
- territorial displays
- territorial defense
I've seen so many women confuse a man being territorial with real feelings.
- I've seen so many women confuse a man being territorial with real feelings.
- I think even more than a woman's problem that guys get overly territorial in this sense.
- But a lot of men, arguably most men can tend to be territorial about the woman they're into.
- They're groomed exactly to be in a boy band and their fans are very territorial.
- We've got more teenagers dying because they're enforcing their territorial rules upon other people so they can protect their little patch.
- So she clearly has some like past territorial problems.
- Today we're going to talk about territorial signposts and scent soakers?!
Examples
-
"What are you doing in here?" she said, just an edge of territorial challenge in her tone.
Fiction book (1998) -
Kevin explained that dik-diks were very territorial, and that this one wouldn't stray far from his home area.
Fiction book (1994) -
It's territorial, and it thinks that this is its home.
-
It's a territorial threat display.
-
I was surprised at how territorial we all were.
-
Most snakes are territorial, especially the big constrictors.
-
All members of the group engage in active defense, performing ritualized displays along the territorial borders.
Academic text (1992) -
Resident avian predators are usually strongly territorial, whereas nomadic birds of prey are only weakly territorial.
Academic text (1996) -
Minuscule bioluminescent lights winked along the large fish's sides, announcing its territorial aggression.
Fiction book (2001) -
The male lion is very territorial and will defend his pride from intruders.
Synonyms
99
2.0
Wanting to keep someone safe from harm
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
6
4.9
The area of sea near a country's coast that the country controls
A volunteer group of part-time soldiers in Britain who help the regular army
- Specialized
A group of local people trained as soldiers who get called up in emergencies to defend the country
How Territorial
311
3.7
18
5.7
163
2.4
37
3.2
72
3.2
10
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Territorial comes from the Latin root terra 'land' and the word territory, which is a piece of land an animal or person claims. That's why an animal is called territorial when it protects or defends its area from others.