truculence
Aggressive, defiant manner
Truculence is aggressive defiance or readiness to fight.
The word suggests a combative attitude that's eager for conflict rather than merely defensive: His truculence made negotiations impossible.
Someone displaying truculence isn't just stubborn—they're actively hostile, spoiling for confrontation.
Inclination to quarrel
- combativenessInclination toward conflict
- belligerenceWarlike aggression
- bellicosityInclination toward hostility
- aggressivenessForceful, hostile disposition
confrontation · antagonism · contentiousness · quarrelsomeness · hostility · militancy · provocativeness · feistiness
Ill-tempered rudeness
- gruffnessHarsh, rough manner
- churlishnessRude, ungracious behavior
- brusquenessAbrupt, rude directness
- curtnessRudely brief speech
rudeness · boorishness · incivility · ill-temper · crossness · crabbiness · testiness · irascibility
Capacity to withstand force
- insubordinationDefying workplace authority
- rebelliousnessTendency toward defiant resistance
- disobedienceRefusal to follow orders
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
recalcitrance · obstinacy · stubbornness · intransigence · contrariness · willfulness · unruliness · contumacy
Extreme, violent cruelty
- ferocityExtreme violent intensity
- fiercenessIntense aggressive quality
- viciousnessExtreme cruelty or spite
- brutalitySavage, merciless behavior
ruthlessness · mercilessness · cruelty · severity · relentlessness · pitilessness · barbarity · roughness
pugnacity
Inclination to quarrel
- combativenessInclination toward conflict
- belligerenceWarlike aggression
- bellicosityInclination toward hostility
aggressiveness · confrontation · antagonism · contentiousness · quarrelsomeness · hostility · militancy · provocativeness · feistiness · scrappiness
surliness
Ill-tempered rudeness
- gruffnessHarsh, rough manner
- churlishnessRude, ungracious behavior
- brusquenessAbrupt, rude directness
curtness · rudeness · boorishness · incivility · ill-temper · crossness · crabbiness · testiness · irascibility · peevishness
resistance
Capacity to withstand force
- insubordinationDefying workplace authority
- rebelliousnessTendency toward defiant resistance
- disobedienceRefusal to follow orders
noncompliance · recalcitrance · obstinacy · stubbornness · intransigence · contrariness · willfulness · unruliness · contumacy · mutinousness
savagery
Extreme, violent cruelty
- ferocityExtreme violent intensity
- fiercenessIntense aggressive quality
- viciousnessExtreme cruelty or spite
brutality · ruthlessness · mercilessness · cruelty · severity · relentlessness · pitilessness · barbarity · roughness · meanness
- hostilityanimosity, hostility, antagonism, belligerence, malice
- combativenessaggression, antagonism, belligerence, bellicosity, combativeness
- aggressionhostility, violence, attack, fight, combativeness
- angeranger, rage, fury, wrath, ire
- irritabilitycranky, grouchy, grumpy, irritated, annoyed
- malevolencemalevolence, cruelty, viciousness, malice, spite
truculencepacifism
Antiwar moral stance
peacefulness · nonaggression · gentleness · nonviolence · meekness
truculencegeniality
Warmth of manner
amiability · friendliness · mildness · gentleness · cordiality
truculencecomplaisance
Desire to please others
amenability · acquiescence · conciliation · accommodation · cooperativeness