combative
adjective
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Definition of combative
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Synonyms & Antonyms for combative
Synonyms
aggressive, agonistic, argumentative, assaultive, bellicose, belligerent, brawly, chippy, confrontational, contentious, discordant, disputatious, feisty, gladiatorial, militant, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent, warlike
Antonyms
nonaggressive, nonbelligerent, pacific, peaceable, peaceful, unbelligerent, uncombative, uncontentious
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Examples of combative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man who was combative with officers was transported to Hillcrest Hospital and the woman was transported to her Cleveland Street home. — Joan Rusek, cleveland.com, "Late for curfew, teen runs through someone’s home: Chagrin Falls police blotter," 23 Aug. 2019 The television network reported that Bulger defended Trump's approach to foreign policy and took the president's side in his combative relationship with the media. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "'Whitey' Bulger praised Trump, bashed Mueller in letters from prison before he died last year," 30 Oct. 2018 Some insiders feel that Zucker is in an awkward situation because correcting the story would be the second major gaffe on a story involving President Trump – with whom he is known to have a combative relationship. — Brian Flood, Fox News, "AT&T silent after Trump calls for telecom giant to fire CNN boss Jeff Zucker," 30 Aug. 2018 Brown did not appear combative or threatening when officers questioned him about a parking violation in January, according to two sources who have watched the video. — Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Video of tasing and arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown to be released soon, sources say," 21 May 2018 Police said the adults were combative and refused to follow officers' commands during the stop. — Bree Burkitt, azcentral, "Phoenix police must now self-report whenever they point a gun at someone," 19 Aug. 2019 The conversation was not combative and the trooper offered to drop off the flyer at Bonnen's door. — James Barragán, Dallas News, "'Dennis Bonnen lied': Activist calls out Texas House speaker, releases audio to GOP lawmakers," 1 Aug. 2019 During several days of questioning from his own attorneys and Alameda County prosecutors, Almena proved to be mournful, combative and confounding, sometimes needing seven or eight exchanges before answering a lawyer’s yes or no question. — James Queally, latimes.com, "At Ghost Ship trial, victims’ relatives face down the man they blame for the fire," 14 July 2019 The combative and combustible Nick Kyrgios advanced to the second round despite winning only five points in the fourth set. — Chris Lehourites, BostonGlobe.com, "No. 1 Ash Barty wins first-round match at Wimbledon," 2 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'combative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for combative
combative
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of combative
See the full definition for combative in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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