truculent
- adjective
- /ˈtrʌkjələnt/
- Formal
- The student was truculent during the debate, refusing to accept any opposing viewpoints.
- truculent tone
- extremely truculent
- very truculent
She stood up to a truculent Vladimir Putin in Eastern Europe.
- She stood up to a truculent Vladimir Putin in Eastern Europe.
Examples
-
Beijing's new, more truculent posture is rooted in an exaggerated sense of China's rise in global power and serious domestic political insecurity.
Academic text (2011) -
Russia continued to be truculent in its dealings with the United States.
Academic text (2011) -
"Why not?" he asked with a slightly truculent tone.
Fiction book (2001) -
"Even to herself, she sounded truculent."
Fiction book (1990) -
With truculent monotony, they accused Americans of buying everything in Canada worth having.
Academic text (2003) -
She stood up to a truculent Vladimir Putin in Eastern Europe.
-
Daalder and Lindsay are concerned about more than the truculent face the administration sometimes shows abroad.
Academic text (2003) -
Yet Truman also knew that a truculent Congress would balk at another program of extensive economic aid.
Academic text (2013) -
His ragged dark beard made him look truculent, belligerent, as if he were daring Jamie to contradict him.
Fiction book (1999) -
By 2:05 PM, despite fifteen minutes of my smoothest dodging and sidestepping, the truculent sea of reporters had sucked me into a maelstrom of awkward questions.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
Behaving in a hostile way and ready to attack or argue
Showing anger and wanting to argue with others
Being ready to argue or fight
Being ready to argue or fight
Showing a wish to argue or fight
Being hard to control and easily annoyed, often causing trouble
Quick to argue or fight, often over small things
Likely to argue or fight with other people
Showing a desire to argue or compete with others
Antonyms
How Aggressive
- Formal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Truculent comes from the Latin word trux meaning 'fierce' or 'wild', and the ending -ulent means 'full of', so it gives the image of someone 'full of fierceness'. That's why truculent describes people who are aggressive and ready to argue or fight.