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 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "pugnacious" http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, pugnacious, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "pugnacious" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/pugnacious/definitions/1181616> |