I. -rənt adjective
Etymology: irregular from Latin belligerant-, belligerans, present participle of belligerare to be at war, from belliger waging war, from bellum war + gerere to wage — more at cast
1. : waging war : carrying on war
belligerent factions
belligerent powers
specifically : belonging to or recognized as an organized military power protected by and subject to the laws of war
belligerent embassies in neutral countries
a belligerent nation
— often used of a party in revolt after its establishment of and recognition as a de facto government
2. : inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, truculence, or combativeness
an obnoxious, belligerent , argumentative adolescent — Hannah Smith
such belligerent verbalizing as makes peaceful action more difficult to achieve — H.A.Overstreet
Synonyms:
bellicose , pugnacious , combative , contentious , quarrelsome : belligerent may describe a country or group actually at war
a truce of six months between the belligerent parties — W.H.Prescott
Less legalistically, it indicates an aggressive, truculent attitude and connotes very hostile feelings
still fighting some of the battles … and he is at times unnecessarily belligerent — H.S.Commager
and the most belligerent of all … she who at tea heroically slaughtered not only German men but all their women and viperine children — Sinclair Lewis
bellicose likewise suggests a pronounced inclination to fight
Calhoun joined with Clay in driving through Congress a war policy. In this he seems to have represented his constituents, whose patriotism was always somewhat bellicose — V.L.Parrington
they were a bellicose people, wielding axes, spears, and clubs against their enemies — John Murra
pugnacious indicates ready and pleasurable willingness to fight
their pugnacious dispositions are well known, and they not only fight among themselves but are incessantly quarreling with their neighbors — John Burroughs
a certain pugnacious virtue that would inculcate righteousness by means of a broken head — V.L.Parrington
combative may indicate either pertaining to combat or, more positively, willingly ready for combat
combat in the field of sports, contests in various forms of games … are generally approved. The combative impulses in human nature may thus find an expression — M.R.Cohen
on Mary's face there was … something combative and alert as well. She was still fighting, but Will was obviously beaten — Dorothy Sayers
pugnacious and combative may lack unpleasant connotation; contentious implies a perverse and irritating fondness for arguments and strife
ideal wives are thought to be like sisters or mothers, cherishing and submissive; others are considered contentious — A.L.Kroeber
his experience with the contentious Dominion council led him often abruptly to silence lengthy and unprofitable debates — Viola F. Barnes
quarrelsome suggests a fretfull ill-natured disposition to quarrel for petty ill-grounded reasons
you also feel very quarrelsome, and you swear at each other in hoarse whispers — J.K.Jerome
she was such a confounded quarrelsome high-bred jade — W.M.Thackeray
II. noun
( -s )
: a belligerent nation, state, or person
recognized the Confederacy as a belligerent — W.C.Ford