MEANING
Ready to argue or fight, often taking a combative stance.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- pugnacious manner
- pugnacious challenger
On the page
His pugnacious manner turned a routine question into a challenge.
A pugnacious challenger stepped forward before the rules were read.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- pugnacious
Usage notes
Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Comparative more pugnacious; superlative most pugnacious where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.
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