aggression
Americannoun
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the action of a state in violating by force the rights of another state, particularly its territorial rights; an unprovoked offensive, attack, invasion, or the like.
The army is prepared to stop any foreign aggression.
- Antonyms:
- peacefulness
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any offensive action, attack, or procedure; an inroad or encroachment.
an aggression upon one's rights.
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the practice of making assaults or attacks; offensive action in general.
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Psychiatry. overt or suppressed hostility, either innate or resulting from continued frustration and directed outward or against oneself.
noun
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an attack or harmful action, esp an unprovoked attack by one country against another
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any offensive activity, practice, etc
an aggression against personal liberty
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psychol a hostile or destructive mental attitude or behaviour
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Behavior that is meant to intimidate or injure an animal of the same species or of a competing species but is not predatory. Aggression may be displayed during mating rituals or to defend territory, as by the erection of fins by fish and feathers by birds.
Other Word Forms
- aggressor noun
- antiaggression adjective
- counteraggression noun
- preaggression noun
Etymology
Origin of aggression
1605–15; < Latin aggressiōn- (stem of aggressiō ), equivalent to aggress ( us ) ( aggress ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Though the Cuban government has acknowledged talks, Díaz-Canel warned last month that “any act of aggression will clash with an impregnable resistance.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
In September last year, Pakistan signed a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, agreeing that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both".
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Much of the current research focuses on depression, while other important outcomes such as anxiety, stress, externalizing behaviors, self-esteem and aggression have received far less attention.
From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026
Although the Yellow Vests often claimed they were forced to fight back against what they saw as police aggression, none of the protesters advocated violence against people.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
This restrains male aggression and enables humans selectively to control the herd’s procreation.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.