aggression

aggression — noun

1. angry feelings or actions, such as shouting, threatening, or hurting someone, th

1.nounB1
Definition

angry feelings or actions, such as shouting, threatening, or hurting someone, that show a person or animal wants to fight or do harm.

Example

Yusuf learned to control his aggression after taking anger management classes.

control + aggression: managing one's own hostile behaviour

The trainer warned us that the rescue dog might show aggression towards strangers.

show aggression towards + somebody

Common collocations
  • control one's aggression
  • show aggression towards
  • verbal aggression
  • physical aggression
  • outburst of aggression
Synonyms
  • hostility

    more about an unfriendly attitude than physical action

  • violence

    stronger; implies physical force and harm, not just threats

  • belligerence

    formal; emphasises eagerness to argue or fight

Antonyms
  • gentleness

    describes a calm, kind manner toward others

  • passivity

    the opposite tendency: not reacting or fighting back

Grammar Patterns

show aggression (towards somebody)

act of aggression

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable in this sense; never use 'an aggression' or 'aggressions'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense covers everyday hostile behaviour by a person or animal, whereas sense 2 refers to a military or political attack.

Common Mistakes

He has many aggressions.
He shows a lot of aggression.
uncountable in this sense, so no plural and no 'an'.
She is aggression to her classmates.
She shows aggression towards her classmates.
'aggression' is a noun, not an adjective; pair it with 'show / display + towards'.

2. a violent attack by one country on another, especially when the attacker had not

2.nounB2
Definition

a violent attack by one country on another, especially when the attacker had not been threatened first; also used for similar attacks in international politics.

Example

The United Nations condemned the invasion as an act of aggression against a neighbouring state.

an act of aggression against + country

After the war, both governments signed a non-aggression treaty along the eastern border.

non-aggression treaty / pact

Common collocations
  • act of aggression
  • military aggression
  • foreign aggression
  • armed aggression
  • non-aggression pact
Synonyms
  • invasion

    specifically the moment of entering another country with force

  • attack

    general word; can be small or large, physical or verbal

  • offensive

    a planned military operation, often part of a longer campaign

Antonyms
  • defence

    actions taken to protect rather than attack

  • neutrality

    policy of taking no side and launching no attack

Grammar Patterns

an act of aggression

aggression against [country]

Usage Note

Used in news, history, and diplomacy. Often appears as 'an act of aggression' (countable) when naming a single attack, and as 'foreign / military aggression' (uncountable) when speaking generally. Subject is normally a country, army, or government, not an ordinary person.

Common Mistakes

The two boys had an aggression in the playground.
The two boys got into a fight in the playground.
'an aggression' for a personal scuffle is wrong; this sense is reserved for military or political attacks.
Russia made aggression to Ukraine.
Russia committed an act of aggression against Ukraine.
use 'commit + an act of aggression against', not 'make aggression to'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe forceful or unfriendly behaviour, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Aggression' covers angry words or actions that aim to dominate or harm, and is the standard term in psychology and everyday talk about people or animals — for example, 'the dog showed aggression towards the postman.' 'Hostility' is narrower: it points to an unfriendly feeling or atmosphere rather than a specific act, as in 'I sensed hostility in the meeting.' 'Violence' is stronger and almost always physical, involving real force that causes injury or damage, like a fight or a riot. 'Assertiveness', by contrast, is positive: it means standing up for yourself clearly and calmly, without trying to hurt anyone. A confident speaker shows assertiveness; an angry one shows aggression.

aggression ↗hostility ↗violence ↗assertiveness

Common collocations

Nouns

  • act of aggression
  • outburst of aggression
  • level of aggression
  • form of aggression

Adverbs

Phrases

  • control one's aggression
  • show aggression
  • provoke aggression
  • respond with aggression

Prepositions

  • towards (somebody)
  • against (a country)
  • from (a source)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the early 17th century from French 'agression', which came from Latin 'aggressionem', the noun form of 'aggredi' meaning 'to approach or attack'. That Latin verb was built from 'ad-' ('toward') plus 'gradi' ('to step or walk'), so the literal image is 'stepping up to' someone — which then narrowed to 'stepping up to attack'. The earliest English uses referred to an unprovoked first attack between countries; the broader psychological sense of angry, harmful behaviour by individuals became common only in the 20th century, alongside the rise of modern psychology.