pugnacious
4
8.8
- adjective
- /pʌɡˈneɪʃəs/
:
pugnaz
- His aggressive attitude and pugnacious personality would have ensured he was left well alone.
You mentioned Ross Perot and him being pugnacious.
- You mentioned Ross Perot and him being pugnacious.
- Very uncontroversial thing to say, you know, calling it like it is but calmly and without being aggressive or pugnacious.
- The skillful aren't more so than some kind of brutality, a pugnacious pug around when you're punching people, right?
Examples
-
Early studies of unmoderated discussion boards observed that, left to their own devices, participants resorted to a dogmatic, pugnacious argumentative style when confronting controversial issues.
Academic text (2006) -
A pugnacious personality thriving on conflict is often seen in business executives.
Academic text (1994) -
Some politicians are simply more aggressive and pugnacious than others.
Blog text (9) -
Your pugnacious pappy would have loved to hear that.
-
Well, dare I ask why you're feeling so pugnacious this evening?
-
"I can be as cynical as anyone," the pugnacious chief executive said in a bit of understatement Saturday.
Blog text (6) -
I'm sure McCain is naturally very pugnacious, competitive, and combative.
Blog text (4) -
The short, balding, pugnacious Scali looks discomfited.
Fiction book (2000) -
The younger man sitting beside him was balding, thick-set, and had a pugnacious jut of his jaw.
Fiction book (1999) -
Mark turned out to be a small, wiry, pugnacious kid who often picked fights with others on the playground.
Synonyms
311
3.7
Behaving in a hostile way and ready to attack or argue
36
7.0
Showing anger and wanting to argue with others
31
6.1
Being ready to argue or fight
26
7.5
Being ready to argue or fight
22
5.3
Often likes to disagree with other people
9
8.6
Gets angry easily and often argues with people
7
8.8
Showing a wish to argue or fight
3
7.8
Likely to argue or fight with other people
3
9.8
Quick to argue or fight and often angry
Ready to fight or argue
Often ready to argue with people
Antonyms
How Combative
Surface Forms
Morphology
pugnacious = pugnac + ious
The root 'pugnac' is not a standalone English word and the adjective is formed via Latin-derived morphology, so an average B1 learner cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
Pugnacious comes from the Latin words pugnare 'to fight' and pugnus 'fist'. Picture a small, angry boxer ready with their fists — a pugnacious person is quick to argue or fight.