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- pronunciation:
- puhg
neI
sh
 s
- features:
- Word Parts
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition: |
ready or eager to fight; overly aggressive or quarrelsome.
The two pugnacious older sons were frequently involved in brawls.Dementia was causing the old man to become increasingly pugnacious and difficult to care for.- antonyms:
- pacific, peaceable
- similar words:
- truculent, warlike
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| related words: |
aggressive, belligerent, choleric, martial, militant, offensive, quarrelsome, turbulent |
| derivations: |
pugnaciously (adv.), pugnaciousness (n.), pugnacity (n.) |
The word pugnacious
contains the following parts:
pug, pugn
Latin
root
that means fight
  Example words:
-acious
Latin
adjective-forming suffix
that means full of, characterized by
More about this word part:
The suffix -acious
forms adjectives from Latinate nouns ending in "-acity," "-acy," or "-ce." Most common adjectives ending in -acious
have a corresponding noun form ending in "-acity."
Example words:
audacious, capacious, fallacious, loquacious, perspicacious, pertinacious, pugnacious, rapacious, tenacious, veracious, vivacious, voracious
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