adjective
- Tough and callous by virtue of experience.
- synonyms: hard-bitten, hard-boiled
- Ready and able to resort to force or violence.
- usage: "pugnacious spirits... Lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance- Herman Melville; "they were rough and determined fighting men"
- synonyms: rough
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). Pugnacious. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "Pugnacious" http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616 (accessed September 24, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, Pugnacious, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "Pugnacious" 23 October 2010. Web. 24 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616> |