Words / C2

BEL-ik-ohs/ˈbelɪkəʊs/

Bellicose means eager to fight, of tone or policy: a bellicose speech, bellicose rhetoric. Belligerent is close; militant suggests organised struggle. Bellicose is about aggression of manner, not necessarily troops already fighting. Peaceable is a useful opposite.

Meaning

Eager to fight; aggressive in manner (formal).

Examples

• “A bellicose speech raised tensions before the vote.”
• “Bellicose headlines made negotiation harder.”
• “The minister dropped the bellicose language after the talks.”

Good to know

bellicose speech/rhetoric. Close: belligerent. Opposite flavour: peaceable.

Near in meaning

belligerent

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