Word Study
aggressive
CIDE DICTIONARY
aggressive, a. [Cf. F. agressif.].
- Tending or disposed to aggress; having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of one's own ends at the expense of others or mindless of others' needs or desires; characterized by aggression; making assaults; unjustly attacking; as, an aggressive policy, war, person, nation; an aggressive businessman; an aggressive basketball player; he was aggressive and imperious in his convictions; aggressive drivers. Opposite of
unaggressive . [1913 Webster]"No aggressive movement was made." [1913 Webster] - marked by self-confident ambition, competitiveness, energy and initiative; as, an aggressive young executive. [WordNet 1.5]
- tending to spread quickly [WordNet 1.5]
- characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight [WordNet 1.5]"Narrower related terms:
bellicose, combative, pugnacious, scrappy, truculent ;hard-hitting, high-pressure ;hostile (used of attempts to buy or take control of a business: "hostile takeover"; "hostile tender offer");predatory, rapacious, raptorial, ravening, vulturine, vulturous .See also: assertive, hostile, offensive. " [WordNet 1.5]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
aggressive, adj.
1 of a person: a given to aggression; openly hostile. b forceful; self-assertive.
2 (of an act) offensive, hostile.
3 of aggression.
1 of a person: a given to aggression; openly hostile. b forceful; self-assertive.
2 (of an act) offensive, hostile.
3 of aggression.
Derivative
aggressively adv. aggressiveness n.
THESAURUS
aggressive
abrupt, active, acute, adventuresome, adventurous, ambitious, animated, antagonistic, assertive, battling, bearish, beastly, bellicose, belligerent, bickering, bloodthirsty, bloody, bloody-minded, bluff, blunt, bold, brash, brisk, brusque, cavalier, chauvinist, chauvinistic, churlish, combative, contentious, crusty, curt, disputatious, divisive, domineering, driving, dynamic, enemy, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic, eristic, factional, factious, ferocious, fierce, fighting, forceful, forcible, forward, full of fight, full of pep, go-ahead, go-go, gruff, hard-hitting, harsh, hawkish, hearty, hostile, hustling, imperious, impetuous, incisive, inimical, intense, irascible, irritable, jingo, jingoish, jingoist, jingoistic, keen, kinetic, litigious, lively, living, lusty, martial, masterful, mettlesome, militant, militaristic, military, offensive, on the offensive, partisan, peppy, polarizing, polemic, pugnacious, pushful, pushing, pushy, quarrelsome, robust, rough, saber-rattling, sanguinary, sanguineous, savage, scrappy, self-assertive, severe, sharp, short, shrewish, smacking, snappy, snippy, soldierlike, soldierly, spanking, spirited, strenuous, strong, surly, take-charge, take-over, tough, trenchant, trigger-happy, truculent, unfriendly, unpacific, unpeaceable, unpeaceful, up-and-coming, venturesome, venturous, vibrant, vigorous, vivacious, vivid, warlike, warmongering, warring, wrangling, zestful, zesty, zippyROGET THESAURUS
aggressive
Attack
N attack, assault, assault and battery, onset, onslaught, charge, aggression, offense, incursion, inroad, invasion, irruption, outbreak, estrapade, ruade, coupe de main, sally, sortie, camisade, raid, foray, run at, run against, dead set at, storm, storming, boarding, escalade, siege, investment, obsession, bombardment, cannonade, fire, volley, platoon fire, file fire, fusillade, sharpshooting, broadside, raking fire, cross fire, volley of grapeshot, whiff of the grape, feu d'enfer, cut, thrust, lunge, pass, passado, carte and tierce, home thrust, coupe de bec, kick, punch, battue, razzia, Jacquerie, dragonnade, devastation, eboulement, assailant, aggressor, invader, base of operations, point of attack, echelon, attacking, aggressive, offensive, obsidional, up in arms, on the offensive, Int, up and at them!, the din of arms, the yell of savage rage, the shriek of agony, the groan of death, their fatal hands no second stroke intend, thirst for glory quells the love of life.For further exploring for "aggressive" in Webster Dictionary Online