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belligerent

Syllabification: (bel·lig·er·ent)
Pronunciation: /bəˈlijərənt/
Translate belligerent | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of belligerent

adjective

  • hostile and aggressive:a bull-necked, belligerent old man
  • engaged in a war or conflict, as recognized by international law.

noun

  • a nation or person engaged in war or conflict, as recognized by international law.

Derivatives

belligerently

adverb

Origin:

late 16th century: from Latin belligerant- 'waging war', from the verb belligerare, from bellum 'war'

Spell belligerent with a double l; the ending is -ent.

belligerent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of belligerent in the British & World English dictionary

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