bel ‧ lig ‧ er ‧ ent /bəˈlɪdʒərənt, bɪˈlɪdʒərənt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: present participle of belligerare 'to fight a war' , from bellum ( ⇨ ↑ bellicose ) + gerere 'to carry on' ]
1 . very unfriendly and wanting to argue or fight SYN aggressive :
a belligerent attitude
2 . [only before noun] formal a belligerent country is fighting a war against another country
—belligerence, belligerency noun [uncountable]