pugnacious

Meanings

• adjective

  Given to quarreling or fighting; contentious.

  - "The pugnacious dog always started fights."
  - "The pugnacious politician refused to back down from his position."

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Rhymes

Words rhyming with pugnacious
aggressive , precocious , obsessive

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Variants

List of all variants of pugnacious that leads to same result
pugnacious , pugnaciously , pugnaciousness , pugnaciousnesses , pugnacities , pugnacity

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Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

From the Latin word pugnāx, meaning 'ready for fight'.

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Trivia

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1. The term 'pugnacious' was first used in English literature in the 16th century.

2. The pug dog breed is named after the Latin word pugnāx, meaning 'ready for fight'.

3. In ancient Rome, gladiators who were particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat were called pugnaces gladiatores.

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Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. contentious: Related to or involving disputes or disagreements.

2. quarrelsome: Given to quarreling or arguing.

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Quotes

Quotes by authors and personalities

1. Podhoretz takes a more "pugnacious" and protesting stance, insisting on the word "seriousness" at all times and punctuating it with the word "moral".

   - Christopher Hitchens,{it}Times Literary Supplement{/it},30 May 1986

2. He was a short man with heavy shoulders, a slight potbelly, puffy blue eyes, and a "pugnacious" expression.

   - Alice Munro,{it}New Yorker{/it},2 Jan. 1989

3. Herz sees himself as a "pugnacious" sardine going up against rule-flouting sharks.

   - Richard Wolkomir,{it}Smithsonian{/it},August 1992

4. That's a bass for you: "pugnacious", adaptable and ever ready to demonstrate that the first order of business on any given day, drought or no drought, is eating anything that it can fit its big, powerful mouth around.

   - Pete Bodo,{it}New York Times{/it},22 Oct. 1995

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Culture

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In literature, the term 'pugnacious' is often used to describe characters who are stubborn, fierce, and unwilling to back down from a fight or argument. In art, the term has been used to describe works that depict conflict or struggle.

How to Memorize "pugnacious"

1. visualize
   

   - Visualize a dog or person who is always ready for a fight and refuses to back down.

2. associate
   

   - Associate the word 'pugnacious' with the idea of being fierce and unwilling to back down.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Use the mnemonic 'Pugnacious Pete' to remember the meaning of the word.

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