thuggish behavior
1
7.8
- noun
- /ˈθʌɡɪʃ bɪˈheɪvjər/
- NSFW
:
comportamiento violento
- thuggish behavior and intimidation
- history of thuggish behavior
Examples
-
They've resorted to thuggish behavior before.
Blog text (27) -
Now, the fire service has released CCTV footage of the senseless attack, and officers have spoken out against such thuggish behaviour.
Blog text (20) -
Unfortunately, Henry Payne ("Putting Preferences to a Vote," National Review Online, 10 July 2003) is obliged to report the thuggish behavior displayed by preference supporters during the press conference at which Connerly introduced the measure.
Academic text (2003) -
Ask any restaurant owner or manager in that area if they think aggressive panhandling, thuggish behavior, and menacing are adequately addressed by current law, or if those behaviors are damaging their and their employees' incomes.
Blog text (31) -
Third, Obama claimed in his previous campaign (which I don't believe he ever stopped campaigning) that he was going to bring the country together—well, this kind of thuggish behavior is not doing anything to accomplish that; in fact, it is making the divide worse.
Blog text (5) -
The coach warned the players that any thuggish behavior during the game would lead to penalties.
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Citizens protested against the thuggish behavior of the police in their neighborhood.
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Many people are frustrated by the thuggish behavior of street gangs, which intimidate local residents.
Synonyms
101
3.5
Hostile or violent behavior toward others
10
4.1
Actions that hurt or try to control other people
7
8.3
Violent actions that hurt or scare people
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'thuggish' means behaving like a thug and 'behavior' means manner of conduct, so 'thuggish behavior' straightforwardly means conduct characteristic of a thug. This adjective+noun pattern and the morphology (-ish) are regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Thuggish behavior comes from the word thug, which paints a picture of a rough, violent person. Imagine someone pushing, hitting and shouting to scare others, and you can see why the phrase means 'aggressive or violent conduct'.