Aggressor
/əˈɡrɛsər/
nounIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
A person who initiates hostilities or an attack.
/əˈɡrɛsər/
nounnegativeIntermediate
General
One who initiates aggression.
The aggressor was quickly subdued by security.
💡 Simply: Someone who starts a fight or argument.
More Examples
2
He acted as the aggressor, initiating the conflict.
How It's Used
International Relations
"The aggressor nation was condemned by the UN."
Law Enforcement
"The police identified the aggressor in the fight."
From Latin *aggressor*, present participle of *aggredi* "to approach, attack", from *ad-* "to" + *gradi* "to step, walk".
The word has been used in contexts of warfare and conflict since its inception.
Memory tip
Think 'aggress' – to attack; adding '-or' makes it the person doing the attacking.
Practice
Base: aggress
agressoragressragresser
Usage
30%Spoken
70%Written