Standard Lemma guide

bellicose

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈbɛlɪkoʊs/
  • General-American: /ˈbɛləkoʊs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B EH1 L AH0 K OW2 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Warlike or combative in nature; aggressively hostile.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • You don't have to be so bellicose, and we can work out a peaceful solution.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

having or showing a ready disposition to fight

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • bellicose young officers
  • a combative impulse
  • a contentious nature

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: battleful, combative

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh2-der.? Proto-Italic *dwenos Old Latin duenos Old Latin *duenelos? Old Latin duellum Latin bellum Latin -icus Latin bellicusder. Latin bellicum signumellip.? Latin bellicum Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Latin bellicosusder. Middle English bellicose English bellicose From Middle English bellicose, from Latin bellicosus.

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عُدْوَانِيّ (ʕudwāniyy) — warlike in nature
  • Belarusian: ваяўні́чы (vajawníčy) — warlike in nature
  • Bulgarian: во́йнствен (vójnstven) — warlike in nature
  • Catalan: bel·licós — warlike in nature
  • Danish: krigerisk — warlike in nature
  • Dutch: vechtlustig — warlike in nature
  • Estonian: sõjakas — warlike in nature
  • Finnish: sotaisa — warlike in nature
  • French: belliqueux — warlike in nature
  • Galician: bélico — warlike in nature
  • Georgian: მეომარი (meomari) — warlike in nature
  • Georgian: მებრძოლი (mebrʒoli) — warlike in nature
  • German: kriegerisch — warlike in nature
  • Ancient Greek: πολεμικός (polemikós) — warlike in nature
  • Hindi: आक्रामक (ākrāmak) — warlike in nature
  • Hindi: हिंसक (hinsak) — warlike in nature
  • Icelandic: herskár — warlike in nature
  • Icelandic: deilugjarn — warlike in nature
  • Icelandic: bardagafús — warlike in nature
  • Icelandic: óeirinn — warlike in nature
  • Icelandic: errinn — warlike in nature
  • Irish: cogúil — warlike in nature
  • Irish: trodach — warlike in nature
  • Old Irish: cathach — warlike in nature
  • Italian: bellicoso — warlike in nature
  • Japanese: 戦争好きな (sensōzuki na) — warlike in nature
  • Japanese: 好戦的な (kōsenteki na) — warlike in nature
  • Korean: 호전적 (hojeonjeok) — warlike in nature
  • Northern Kurdish: şerxwazane — warlike in nature
  • Latin: bellicōsus — warlike in nature
  • Macedonian: воинствен (voinstven) — warlike in nature
  • Māori: kaitaua — warlike in nature
  • Māori: ririhau — warlike in nature
  • Occitan: bellicós — warlike in nature
  • Occitan: guerrejaire — warlike in nature
  • Polish: wojowniczy — warlike in nature
  • Portuguese: bélico — warlike in nature
  • Romanian: belicos — warlike in nature
  • Russian: вои́нственный (voínstvennyj) — warlike in nature
  • Spanish: belicoso — warlike in nature
  • Tagalog: pinga — warlike in nature
  • Ukrainian: войовни́чий (vojovnýčyj) — warlike in nature
  • Afrikaans: strydlustig — having the impulse to be combative
  • Belarusian: ваяўні́чы (vajawníčy) — having the impulse to be combative
  • Bulgarian: во́йнствен (vójnstven) — having the impulse to be combative
  • Danish: stridslysten — having the impulse to be combative
  • Dutch: strijdlustig — having the impulse to be combative
  • Finnish: riidanhaluinen — having the impulse to be combative
  • French: belliqueux — having the impulse to be combative
  • German: kriegerisch — having the impulse to be combative
  • Icelandic: herskár — having the impulse to be combative
  • Icelandic: bardagafús — having the impulse to be combative
  • Irish: trodach — having the impulse to be combative
  • Irish: taghdach — having the impulse to be combative
  • Irish: achrannach — having the impulse to be combative
  • Italian: combattivo — having the impulse to be combative
  • Italian: battagliero — having the impulse to be combative
  • Japanese: 喧嘩っ早い (kenkappayai) — having the impulse to be combative
  • Japanese: 武闘派な (butōha na) — having the impulse to be combative
  • Northern Kurdish: şerxwaz — having the impulse to be combative
  • Māori: kaitaua — having the impulse to be combative
  • Occitan: bellicós — having the impulse to be combative
  • Occitan: batalhièr — having the impulse to be combative
  • Occitan: guerrejaire — having the impulse to be combative
  • Russian: вои́нственный (voínstvennyj) — having the impulse to be combative
  • Ukrainian: войовни́чий (vojovnýčyj) — having the impulse to be combative