What is the meaning of pugnacious?

adjective

  • Tough and callous by virtue of experience.
  • 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"
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APAWordNet. (2010). pugnacious. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "pugnacious" http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616 (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, pugnacious, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616>.
MLAWordNet. "pugnacious" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616>
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