aggressive

uh-GRES-iv/əˈɡɹɛs.ɪv/

7 meanings of aggressive

1
adjective
Quick to attack, fight, or argue with other people.
Like a dog that growls and snaps instead of staying calm.
The dog became aggressive when strangers came near the gate.
He gets aggressive whenever someone disagrees with him.
Similarhostile, combative, belligerent, confrontational, pugnacious
Oppositegentle, peaceful, passive, mild
Note
2
adjective
Spreading fast and hard to stop, as a serious illness can.
Like a fire that races through dry grass before anyone can stop it.
The doctors found an aggressive form of cancer.
An aggressive infection spread through the ward within days.
Similarinvasive, virulent, fast-growing
Oppositeindolent
Note
3
adjective
Taking big risks to try to win big rewards.
Like risking a lot of money to maybe win a lot more.
She chose an aggressive plan to grow her savings fast.
An aggressive bet can pay off big or lose everything.
Similarbold, risky, ambitious, daring
Oppositeconservative, cautious
Note
4
adjective
Used or applied as often and as much as possible.
Like cleaning every corner of a room instead of just the messy parts.
The compiler uses aggressive settings to make the program faster.
An aggressive cleanup removes every unused file it finds.
Oppositeconservative
Note
5
nouncountable
A person who often attacks, fights, or argues with others.
Like the kid who always wants to fight on the playground.
Every team seems to have one aggressive who picks fights with rivals.
The aggressives in the crowd shoved past the calmer fans.
Similaraggressor, bully
6
nounUScountable
A Black woman who dresses and acts in a masculine way.
She came out as an aggressive in her early twenties.
The aggressives at the club wore sharp, tailored suits.
Similarstud, butch
Oppositefemme
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7
adjectiveUS
Describing a woman who looks and acts in a masculine way.
Her aggressive style meant short hair and a man's suit.
She felt most herself with an aggressive, masculine look.
Similarbutch, masculine
Oppositefemme
Note

Practice

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Origin

Made from the word "aggress" plus the ending "-ive."