truculent
- Eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant or hostile in manner.
In a sentence
- The truculent teenager answered every question with a sneer, clearly looking for a confrontation.
- Negotiators found the union's truculent tone made productive dialogue nearly impossible in the early sessions.
Usage note. Truculent suggests an itching readiness for conflict rather than mere general anger; it often implies the person is actively provoking or daring others to push back.
Where it comes from
English truculent · entered English mid-16th c.
From Latin 'truculentus' (fierce, savage), derived from 'trux' (fierce, grim), genitive 'trucis'. The word entered English in the mid-16th century, initially with a stronger sense of savage ferocity, and later softened toward its modern meaning of hostile belligerence.