/ bəˈlɪdʒərənt; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
1.
unfriendly and aggressive
SYN hostile :
a belligerent attitude
2.
[ only before noun ] ( formal ) ( of a country ) fighting a war :
the belligerent countries / states / nations
► bel·liger·ence / -əns; NAmE / noun [ U ]
► bel·liger·ent·ly adverb
■ noun
( formal ) a country or group that is fighting a war
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from Latin belligerant- waging war, from the verb belligerare , from bellum war.