The first image that comes to my mind when I think of pugnacious is the image of Sylvester Stallone fighting it out in the Rocky movies, inside the boxing ring. Boxing is one pugnacious sport in fact.
Origin of the word Pugnacious
Pugnacious actually comes from the Latin root ‘pugn-, pug-, pugil- +’ meaning ‘to fight, to fight against; fist, handful’ and thus, the root does make an appearance in attack related words:
Impugn: To attack as false, questionable, or wrong.
Pugilist: 1. Someone who practices the art of boxing.
2. A boxer, a fighter; figuratively, a vigorous controversialist (a person who likes to disagree with other people and say things that make people angry or think about a subject).
Pugnacious carries the following dictionary definitions:
1. Inclined to quarrel or fight readily.
Memory tip for Pugnacious:
Just remember a boxer in the ring. That image should be enough to make you learn the word.
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