bellicose

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbɛlɪkəʊs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈbɛlɪˌkoʊs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bel′i kōs′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
bel•li•cose /ˈbɛlɪˌkoʊs/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. eager or likely to fight; aggressive.
bel•li•cose•ly, adv. 
bel•li•cos•i•ty /ˌbɛlɪˈkɑsɪti/USA pronunciation  bel•li•cose•ness, n. [uncountable]See -bell-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
bel•li•cose  (bel′i kōs′),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile;
    belligerent;
    pugnacious.
  • Latin bellicōsus, equivalent. to bellic(us) pertaining to war (bell(um) war + -icus -ic) + -ōsus -ose1
  • late Middle English 1400–50
bel′li•cose′ly, adv. 
bel•li•cos•i•ty  (bel′i kos′i tē),USA pronunciation bel′li•cose′ness, n. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bellicose /ˈbɛlɪˌkəʊs; -ˌkəʊz/ adj
  1. warlike; aggressive; ready to fight
Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin bellicōsus, from bellum warbellicosity /ˌbɛlɪˈkɒsɪtɪ/ n
'bellicose' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
jingo - lion - belligerent - jingoism - pugnacious - warlike

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