1
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a congenital truculence that resulted in his spending a significant amount of time in the principal's office
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the sergeant's truculence was revealed when she made the recruits run even further in the heat
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of truculence
Musk reacted to McCormick’s ruling with characteristic truculence.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
And finally, a new series of jolts: a pandemic that wrought havoc on world supply chains; China’s lockdowns at home and its truculence toward Western trading partners critical of its policies; and the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such as rising energy and food costs.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2023
Repression at home produces truculence abroad.
—Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng opened the door to such a meeting after months of diplomatic outbursts from Beijing, where the truculence of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been matched by military saber-rattling and a crackdown in Hong Kong.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for truculence
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
And finally, a new series of jolts: a pandemic that wrought havoc on world supply chains; China’s lockdowns at home and its truculence toward Western trading partners critical of its policies; and the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such as rising energy and food costs.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2023
Repression at home produces truculence abroad.
—Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng opened the door to such a meeting after months of diplomatic outbursts from Beijing, where the truculence of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been matched by military saber-rattling and a crackdown in Hong Kong.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for truculence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truculence
Noun
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The drills around Taiwan are only the latest example of Chinese aggression this month.—
Anders Hagstrom,
Fox News,
26 Feb. 2025
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The paper said that the text did not contain clear security guarantees for Ukraine against Russian aggression, which have been priorities for Kyiv in a deal to end the war started by Putin.—
John Feng,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Matthew has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as related weapons possession and animal cruelty charges.—
Laura Barcella,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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The whole movie is about the ways that cruelty and injustice become codified.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Ukrainians React: Trump’s claim that Ukraine was responsible for its war with Russia has left many Ukrainians disillusioned, including residents of Bucha, a Kyiv suburb that has become a symbol of Russian brutality.—
Chris Buckley,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
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The biggest plutocrats of the first Gilded Age, for all their brutalities, played an essentially stabilizing role from behind the scenes—the Cardinal Richelieu role, the wise banker in the background.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Russian foreign policy establishment always speculated that Europe would be most likely to eventually seek rapprochement with Moscow, while U.S. hostility to Russia was thought to be hard-wired.—
Fred Weir,
The Christian Science Monitor,
5 Mar. 2025
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Guy Pearce is an antagonistic delight wielding passive-aggressive hostility as the main character’s benefactor, and Felicity Jones, as the architect’s loyal wife, is the heart of the piece who steps up when her spouse can’t.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Atul Gawande, former Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID, wrote on X that 5,800 USAID contracts have been terminated in defiance of the courts.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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The strange particulars of his passing remain a mystery thus far, but Hackman’s life was lived in quiet defiance of Hollywood fame and the strictures of celebrity.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truculence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truculence. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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