From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcombativecom‧ba‧tive /ˈkɒmbətɪv $ kəmˈbætɪv/ adjective ARGUEready and willing to fight or argue Congress is in a combative mood. —combativeness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
combative• He brought a combative good humor to his dealings with the archdiocese.• Delacroix based his combative, romantic works on the compound curve.• Luckily, Mr Clarke has a combative, sceptical personality.• But the time spent at Battersea developed his skill and enthusiasm for combative sport.• Former Mayor Koch won a reputation for his combative style.• For that reason, the training encourages officers to either close in tighter on a combative suspect or move out of range.• The combative veteran gave his side the lead on the hour, and then helped them to a flattering 3-0 win. 