Aggressive

Ready to attack or confront; acting with force or pushiness, often in a way that is aggressive rather than calm or restrained.

adjective

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Imagine This

Imagine a basketball player charging toward the basket with a fierce gaze, shoulders squared, and a powerful push through a defender to score.

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Sounds Like

uh-GRESS-iv

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Looks Like

Looks like aggr-ess-ive, with a double g and a double s in the middle (aggr-ess-ive). Visually resembles other -ive adjectives built from roots about moving or acting (gress/gress).

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Remember This

Aggressive comes from a Latin root meaning to attack; related forms include aggression, aggressiveness, aggressor.

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Other Forms

aggressivenessnoun

aggressivelyadverb

aggressionnoun

aggressornoun

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Connect With

assertive, forceful, combative, hostile, belligerent

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Note

Aggressive describes forceful or hostile behavior. It can have a negative connotation in social contexts; in business or sports, 'aggressive' can imply determination. It is not the same as 'assertive' (confident but not hostile).

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Study Deeper

Examples

The goalkeeper used aggressive footwork to shield the ball from the striker.
Her aggressive negotiating tactics helped her secure a higher salary.

Synonyms

assertiveforcefulcombativebelligerenthostile

Antonyms

passivemeeksubmissivegentle

Etymology

From Latin aggressivus, from aggressus, past participle of aggredi 'to approach, attack,' from ad- 'toward' + gradi 'to step' (gressus = step). The -ive suffix forms the adjective.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic: AGGRESSIVE = A GRESS (step) FORWARD VIGOR; imagine a soldier or athlete who GRESSes forward with force, literally stepping toward the goal with energy.