1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
die-hard fans who became truculent and violent after their team's loss
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
a theater critic who was notorious for his titanically truculent reviews
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
played the role of a disturbed and truculent villain
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of truculent
Needing Maher’s truculent approval to sustain their own arguments, they’re defined by their enemy.
—
Armond White, National Review, 7 June 2024
Little kids squirm in makeshift beds trying to stay awake for Santa, while truculent teenagers sneak out into the suburban night to do secret teenager things.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2024
Russia’s truculent and obstructionist foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin comes from a sense of having lost the Cold War in the 1980s and having suffered the consequences of the defeat in the 1990s.
—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2018
Mexico City is so inept, so compromised by the cartels, and so truculent that joint military action seems a pipe dream.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for truculent
Armond White, National Review, 7 June 2024
Little kids squirm in makeshift beds trying to stay awake for Santa, while truculent teenagers sneak out into the suburban night to do secret teenager things.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2024
Russia’s truculent and obstructionist foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin comes from a sense of having lost the Cold War in the 1980s and having suffered the consequences of the defeat in the 1990s.
—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2018
Mexico City is so inept, so compromised by the cartels, and so truculent that joint military action seems a pipe dream.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for truculent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truculent
Adjective
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However, thanks to aggressive conservation efforts, including predator control programs, habitat restoration, and breeding initiatives, several kiwi species have seen rebounds.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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Even so, the aggressive play in this post-season has stood out.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Rolling Stone also previously uncovered a pattern of abusive behavior dating back to Combs’ time at Howard University.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
5 May 2025
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As fans saw in the first movie, Faith and Hope rebelliously set their house on fire to kill their abusive father and run away.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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Bruno Silva via first-round KO This finish was absolutely brutal.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the latest missile, but a spokesman for the militant group has said previous launches targeted military facilities in Israel.—
Tamar Michaelis,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
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India may also take the stronger step of striking militant groups in Pakistan to satisfy the public’s demand for action.—
Michael Kugelman,
Time,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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The idea that women need to be properly taught how to conceive a child through a government program is a particularly insulting proposal, says Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
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But in March, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Wash., ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.—
Mark Sherman,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This dynamic has created a cruel catch-22 which forces an impossible choice: register and risk immediate deportation, or refuse and become criminalized for noncompliance, destroying any path to legal status.—
Kica Matos,
Time,
2 May 2025
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Milano’s extensive medical history sometimes feels too cruel to detail; his only full season came as a rookie in 2017.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s aggressive targeting of major law firms, many of which have advocated liberal policy positions and clients, also marks a striking new front in his second-term legal battles, as the administration pressures firms seen as politically hostile or unwilling to back its agenda.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 May 2025
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Russia will accrue enormous economic benefits if the United States facilitates its reentry into the world economy, generating revenue that will go directly to rebuilding its military, funding hostile intelligence operations and propping up a regime that’s never far from its next military adventure.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Stripping a legislator of the power to vote over her opinions is outrageous.—
Dan McLaughlin,
National Review,
2 May 2025
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This is outrageous and the railroad must be overruled by President Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and New York politicians, particularly Republicans who have good relations with the White House, have to raise the alarm.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truculent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truculent. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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