aggressor
/ə'gresə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A person, group, or nation that attacks first or initiates hostilities: An aggressor is the party that starts a conflict, fight, or war.
- Someone who behaves in an assertive, confrontational, or instigating manner: In a broader sense, it can refer to a person who initiates a quarrel or acts as an instigator in a dispute.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The United Nations condemned the country as the clear aggressor in the conflict.
- In the schoolyard fight, the teacher identified the boy who threw the first punch as the aggressor.
- He's not just confident; in meetings, he often comes across as an aggressor, challenging every idea.
Advanced Usage
- Legal/Political Context: In international law, identifying the aggressor is crucial for assigning responsibility for a war.
- The tribunal's task was to determine which state was the aggressor in the breach of the peace treaty.
- Psychology/Social Context: Can describe a pattern of behavior rather than a single act.
- The study focused on the behavioral traits common in childhood aggressors.
Variants and Related Words
- Aggress (verb): To attack or behave aggressively towards someone.
- He tended to aggress verbally when he felt threatened.
- Aggression (noun): Hostile or violent behavior or actions.
- The unprovoked aggression led to a full-scale war.
- Aggressive (adjective): Ready or likely to attack or confront; pursuing one's aims forcefully.
- The company adopted an aggressive marketing strategy.
Synonyms
- Assailant: A person who attacks someone.
- Attacker: One who launches an attack.
- Instigator: A person who brings about or initiates something, typically a conflict.
- Initiator: The person or entity that starts something.
Related Phrases
- The aggressor nation: A standard phrase in political discourse referring to the country that started a war.
- Sanctions were imposed on the aggressor nation.
- To be branded/labeled the aggressor: To be formally identified or widely perceived as the one who started a conflict.
- The regime was branded the aggressor by the international community.
Idioms
- Playing the aggressor: Taking on the role of the one who initiates conflict or forceful action, often in sports or competitive contexts.
- In the final round, the boxer abandoned his defensive style and started playing the aggressor.
Noun
- a confident assertive person who acts as instigator
- someone who attacks