belligerent
UK /bəˈlɪdʒ.ə.ɹənt/ · US /bəˈlɪd͡ʒ.ɚ.ənt/ adjective, noun
Forms belligerents
- adjective Engaged in warfare, warring.
- adjective Eager to go to war, warlike.
- adjective Of or pertaining to war.
- adjective (by extension) Aggressively hostile, eager to fight.
- adjective Acting violently towards others.
- adjective Uncooperative.
- noun A state or other armed participant in warfare “The UN sent a treaty proposal to the belligerents.”
Synonyms
aggressive antagonistic bellicose combative contentious pugnacious quarrelsome truculent combatant battler fighter scrapper militant war-ridden warring
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin belligerans (“waging war”), present active participle of belligerō (“to wage war”), from belliger (“waging war, warlike”), from bellum (“war”) + -ger (from gerō (“to lead, wage, carry on”)).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Waging war; carrying on war. "Belligerent powers." E. Everett.
- adjective Pertaining, or tending, to war; of or relating to belligerents; as, a belligerent tone; belligerent rights.
- noun A nation or state recognized as carrying on war; a person engaged in warfare.
Etymology [L. bellum war + gerens, -entis, waging, p. pr. of gerere to wage: cf. F. belligérant. See Bellicose, Jest.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “belligerent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details