"pugnacious" meaning in English

See pugnacious in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /pʌɡˈneɪ.ʃəs/ [UK, US] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pugnacious.wav , LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-pugnacious.wav Forms: more pugnacious [comparative], most pugnacious [superlative]
Rhymes: -eɪʃəs Etymology: From the stem of Latin pugnāx + -ous, from pugnō (“I fight”), from pugnus (“fist”). Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*pewǵ-}}, {{glossary|stem}} stem, {{suffix|en|la:pugnāx|ous}} Latin pugnāx + -ous Head templates: {{en-adj}} pugnacious (comparative more pugnacious, superlative most pugnacious)
  1. Naturally aggressive or hostile; combative; belligerent; bellicose. Derived forms: pugnaciously, pugnaciousness, unpugnacious Related terms: impugn, poniard, pugilism, pugnacity, repugn, repugnant Translations (aggressive, belligerent): свадлив (svadliv) (Bulgarian), pugnaç (Catalan), 好戰的 /好战的 (hàozhàn de) (Chinese Mandarin), 好鬥的 /好斗的 (hàodòu de) (Chinese Mandarin), strijdlustig (Dutch), vechtlustig (Dutch), vijandig (Dutch), taistelunhaluinen (Finnish), pugnace (French), pugnaz (Galician), kampflustig (German), streitsüchtig (German), streitlustig (German), rauflustig (German), kampfeslustig (German), kämpferisch (German), aggressiv (German), trodach (Irish), pugnace (Italian), сотқар (sotqar) (Kazakh), төбелескіш (töbeleskış) (Kazakh), төбелесшіл (töbelesşıl) (Kazakh), pugnāx (Latin), pukungangare (Māori), ririhau (Māori), stridslysten (Norwegian Bokmål), pugnaç (Occitan), wojowniczy (Polish), awanturniczy (Polish), zadzierzysty (Polish), zadziorny (Polish), zawadiacki (Polish), czupurny (Polish), pugnaz (Portuguese), pugnace (Portuguese), belicoso (Portuguese), драчли́вый (dračlívyj) (Russian), ратоборан [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), ratoboran [Latin] (Serbo-Croatian), pugnaz (Spanish), belicoso (Spanish), stridslysten (Swedish)

Alternative forms

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      "form": "more pugnacious",
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          "text": "As he made the demand he spat out a mouthful of blood and teeth and shoved his pugnacious face close to Oofty-Oofty.",
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          "text": "[I]n the 575 days since [Oscar] Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, there has been an unseemly scramble to construct revisionist histories, to identify evidence beneath that placid exterior of a pugnacious, hair-trigger personality.",
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          "text": "Of course the Johnston swings around to engage the entire flotilla, and, despite taking several more hits, Johnston successfully forces away the first two ships, which leads to the entire squadron taking a detour to avoid the single pugnacious ship.",
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          "text": "In a speech this weekend, Ms. Le Pen suggested that her “pugnacious” young protégé, Jordan Bardella, who is one of the most popular politicians in France, was ready to become prime minister.",
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        "Naturally aggressive or hostile; combative; belligerent; bellicose."
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          "aggressive",
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          "word": "pugnacity"
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          "code": "bg",
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          "roman": "svadliv",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
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          "lang_code": "ca",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
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          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "hàozhàn de",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "好戰的 /好战的"
        },
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          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "hàodòu de",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "好鬥的 /好斗的"
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnaz"
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "kampflustig"
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          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "streitsüchtig"
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          "code": "de",
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "streitlustig"
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          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "rauflustig"
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          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "kampfeslustig"
        },
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          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "kämpferisch"
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        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "aggressiv"
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        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "lang_code": "ga",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "trodach"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnace"
        },
        {
          "code": "kk",
          "lang": "Kazakh",
          "lang_code": "kk",
          "roman": "sotqar",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "сотқар"
        },
        {
          "code": "kk",
          "lang": "Kazakh",
          "lang_code": "kk",
          "roman": "töbeleskış",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "төбелескіш"
        },
        {
          "code": "kk",
          "lang": "Kazakh",
          "lang_code": "kk",
          "roman": "töbelesşıl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "төбелесшіл"
        },
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          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "lang_code": "la",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnāx"
        },
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          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Māori",
          "lang_code": "mi",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pukungangare"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Māori",
          "lang_code": "mi",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "ririhau"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "lang_code": "nb",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "stridslysten"
        },
        {
          "code": "oc",
          "lang": "Occitan",
          "lang_code": "oc",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnaç"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "wojowniczy"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "awanturniczy"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "zadzierzysty"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "zadziorny"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "zawadiacki"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "czupurny"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnaz"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnace"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "belicoso"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "dračlívyj",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "драчли́вый"
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          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "word": "ратоборан"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "tags": [
            "Latin"
          ],
          "word": "ratoboran"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "pugnaz"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "belicoso"
        },
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          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
          "word": "stridslysten"
        }
      ]
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      "rhymes": "-eɪʃəs"
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}
{
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      "word": "pugnaciously"
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    {
      "word": "pugnaciousness"
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    {
      "word": "unpugnacious"
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      "expansion": "Latin pugnāx + -ous",
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  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the stem of Latin pugnāx + -ous, from pugnō (“I fight”), from pugnus (“fist”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more pugnacious",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most pugnacious",
      "tags": [
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  "pos": "adj",
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      "word": "pugnacity"
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      "word": "repugn"
    },
    {
      "word": "repugnant"
    }
  ],
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
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        "Rhymes:English/eɪʃəs",
        "Rhymes:English/eɪʃəs/3 syllables",
        "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
        "Terms with Catalan translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with Galician translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Irish translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Kazakh translations",
        "Terms with Latin translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Māori translations",
        "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
        "Terms with Occitan translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations",
        "en:Personality"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              41,
              51
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1858, Anthony Trollope, chapter 3, in Doctor Thorne. […], volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 53:",
          "text": "Not that the doctor was a bully, or even pugnacious, in the usual sense of the word; he had no disposition to provoke a fight, no propense love of quarrelling.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              79,
              89
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1904, Jack London, chapter 15, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC:",
          "text": "As he made the demand he spat out a mouthful of blood and teeth and shoved his pugnacious face close to Oofty-Oofty.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              60,
              70
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2003, Ken Follett, Hornet Flight, →ISBN, pages 249–250:",
          "text": "In the face of bad news Churchill normally became even more pugnacious, always wanting to respond to defeat by going on the attack.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              211,
              221
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities: Bladerunner's punishment for killing Reeva Steenkamp is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry [print version: No room for sentimentality in this tragedy, 13 September 2014, p. S22]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport):",
          "text": "[I]n the 575 days since [Oscar] Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, there has been an unseemly scramble to construct revisionist histories, to identify evidence beneath that placid exterior of a pugnacious, hair-trigger personality.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              233,
              243
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 29:50 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022:",
          "text": "Of course the Johnston swings around to engage the entire flotilla, and, despite taking several more hits, Johnston successfully forces away the first two ships, which leads to the entire squadron taking a detour to avoid the single pugnacious ship.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              57,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2025 September 8, Roger Cohen, “French Prime Minister Bayrou Loses Confidence Vote, Putting Pressure on Macron”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:",
          "text": "In a speech this weekend, Ms. Le Pen suggested that her “pugnacious” young protégé, Jordan Bardella, who is one of the most popular politicians in France, was ready to become prime minister.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Naturally aggressive or hostile; combative; belligerent; bellicose."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "aggressive",
          "aggressive"
        ],
        [
          "hostile",
          "hostile"
        ],
        [
          "combative",
          "combative"
        ],
        [
          "belligerent",
          "belligerent"
        ],
        [
          "bellicose",
          "bellicose"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pʌɡˈneɪ.ʃəs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pugnacious.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a9/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pugnacious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pugnacious.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a9/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pugnacious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pugnacious.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-pugnacious.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/db/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-pugnacious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-pugnacious.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/db/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-pugnacious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-pugnacious.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪʃəs"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "roman": "svadliv",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "свадлив"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnaç"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "hàozhàn de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "好戰的 /好战的"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "hàodòu de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "好鬥的 /好斗的"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "strijdlustig"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "vechtlustig"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "vijandig"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "vijandig"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "taistelunhaluinen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnace"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "lang_code": "gl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnaz"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "kampflustig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "streitsüchtig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "streitlustig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "rauflustig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "kampfeslustig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "kämpferisch"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "aggressiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "trodach"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnace"
    },
    {
      "code": "kk",
      "lang": "Kazakh",
      "lang_code": "kk",
      "roman": "sotqar",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "сотқар"
    },
    {
      "code": "kk",
      "lang": "Kazakh",
      "lang_code": "kk",
      "roman": "töbeleskış",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "төбелескіш"
    },
    {
      "code": "kk",
      "lang": "Kazakh",
      "lang_code": "kk",
      "roman": "töbelesşıl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "төбелесшіл"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "lang_code": "la",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnāx"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pukungangare"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "ririhau"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "lang_code": "nb",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "stridslysten"
    },
    {
      "code": "oc",
      "lang": "Occitan",
      "lang_code": "oc",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnaç"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "wojowniczy"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "awanturniczy"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "zadzierzysty"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "zadziorny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "zawadiacki"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "czupurny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnaz"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnace"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "belicoso"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "dračlívyj",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "драчли́вый"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "ратоборан"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "tags": [
        "Latin"
      ],
      "word": "ratoboran"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "pugnaz"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "belicoso"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "aggressive, belligerent",
      "word": "stridslysten"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pugnacious"
}

Download raw JSONL data for pugnacious meaning in English (11.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-14 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.