1
as in combative
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a kindergarten teacher who discourages aggressive behavior, like pushing, by rewarding those children who wait their turn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambitious
having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal
if you don't take a more aggressive approach to this yard pretty soon, the weeds are going to take over completely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in violent
marked by or uttered with forcefulness
the team's game strategy depends on a very aggressive style of defense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aggressive
Grant was diagnosed in July 2024 with T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or T-All, a very aggressive blood cancer.
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Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
The Magic maintained a 59-51 lead at half, but Boston pulled even early in the third after Minott drew a foul on an aggressive crash, and Pritchard picked Bane’s pocket and canned a three.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The arresting officer belongs to the Atlanta Police Department’s controversial Crime Suppression Unit—a group known for its aggressive tactics and emphasis on high arrest numbers rather than genuine public safety.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 8 Nov. 2025
Joe first announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones in May, via his personal office.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aggressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggressive
Adjective
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Venus fuses with combative Mars in your 3rd House of Communication, mixing tenderness with intensity and pushing for words that match actions.—
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During her speech, Paulson shared a bunch of text messages Keaton had sent her over the years, all of which were at once warm and acerbic, kind and a playfully combative.—
Adjective
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The project goals, which were ambitious in terms of cell voltage and current density, were surpassed.—
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The story follows Chalamet as Marty, an ambitious young man from New York’s Lower East Side, convinced that table tennis is his ticket to success.—
Adjective
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Safavi said the blackout coincided with violent confrontations in several regions.—
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Parallel societies in certain urban areas and rising violent crime statistics linked to some migrant cohorts in countries such as Sweden and Germany led to the dramatic rise of populist and patriotic parties across the continent, from France to Italy to the Netherlands.—
Adjective
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Skepticism came easily to Trump, who had long been hostile to mainstream foreign policy.—
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The helicopter the pilot was flying — a heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook — was struck by hostile fire during the operation.—
Adjective
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Some nearby residents, including Sue Weston — the owner of Weston Gardens in Bloom, a historic garden located on Anglin Drive — have expressed fierce opposition to the data center.—
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Last year, the governor tried to increase the number of in-office days to four only to face fierce resistance from his employees and their labor representatives.—
Adjective
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Started from seed, this type of sedum is a vigorous grower, forming a tidy mound with strong, flop-free stems.—
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But a new study, published in Nature Communications in October, says vigorous activity is even more valuable than that.—
Adjective
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This sparked a contentious debate about whether our species originally emerged outside of Africa, before returning there.—
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His resignation comes after last month's trial in which inflammatory texts Phelps sent during contentious revenue-sharing negotiations were revealed.—
Adjective
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Israel and the Lebanese militant group exchanged fire for over a year before reaching a ceasefire in November 2024.—
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Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed over the hardline clerical government's nuclear program and backing for militant groups across the region.—
Cite this Entry
“Aggressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggressive. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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