as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a movie reviewer who is spirited, even pugnacious, when defending her opinions
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pugnacious
Progressives have delivered a generally meek response to the situation in what’s becoming a departure from their pugnacious style of politics.
—
Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 21 Feb. 2025
It’s been a wonky stretch for the Magic, who looked like pugnacious early-season darlings in December.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Yet Max Is Free For 7 Days With This Prime Video Promo
The pugnacious pair hightail it to Danny’s hometown of Belfast, Ireland to make contact with their handler William (Tony Hirst) and his henchwoman Simone (Kate Katzman).
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 20 Feb. 2025
The pugnacious response followed Trump’s surprising comments Tuesday that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion of the country three years ago.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 21 Feb. 2025
It’s been a wonky stretch for the Magic, who looked like pugnacious early-season darlings in December.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Yet Max Is Free For 7 Days With This Prime Video Promo
The pugnacious pair hightail it to Danny’s hometown of Belfast, Ireland to make contact with their handler William (Tony Hirst) and his henchwoman Simone (Kate Katzman).
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 20 Feb. 2025
The pugnacious response followed Trump’s surprising comments Tuesday that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion of the country three years ago.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pugnacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugnacious
Adjective
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The prison has become a symbol of Bukele's aggressive policies that have targeted gang violence.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Young has struggled against the Heat’s aggressive defense in recent years.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The group wrote to Bondi to argue that the influencer should be investigated over whether she has been paid to spread propaganda for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, it was first reported by the New York Post.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
8 Apr. 2025
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And in Lebanon, a series of Israeli attacks on the country have decapitated the militant group Hezbollah.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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John Shine described to me a research trip to the hostile mountain environs of Tasmania, where snakes stay under cover except for the 20 or 30 warm days each year.—
Stephen S. Hall,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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Union members shared other experiences and stories, including those of an increasingly hostile work environment for some.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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However, all three of these studies come from a closely affiliated group of researchers, are based on the same dataset tracking maternal health, and use contentious measures of both IQ and fluoride exposure.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
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Policies around taxes, the federal budget and migration were widely seen as contentious points among the parties.—
Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugnacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugnacious. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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