Meanings
nounaggression (countable and uncountable, plural aggressions)
plural aggressions
- countableuncountableThe act of initiating hostilities or invasion.
Control, dispossession, violence, and tyranny are not “defensive”: they are part of an organized, ongoing aggression.
2019 April 28, Hagai El-Ad, “What kind of democracy deports human rights workers?”, in Yoni Molad, transl., +972 Magazine - countableuncountableThe practice or habit of launching attacks.
- countableuncountableHostile or destructive behavior or actions.
The decision to impose a steel and aluminum tariff is an act of aggression which makes trade war between the two pillars of the West a grim possibility.
2018, Michael Cottakis – LSE, “Colliding worlds: Donald Trump and the European Union”, in LSE's blog - countableuncountableA desire for confrontation and often violence; an urge to physically harm something or someone.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Opposite
nouna feeling of hostility that arouses thoughts of attack
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʰredʰ-
- Latingradior
- Latinaggredior
- Latinaggressiō
- Middle Frenchaggression
- Englishaggression
From Middle French aggression, from Latin aggressio, from aggressus, past participle of aggredior (“to approach, address, attack”). By surface analysis, ag- + -gress + -ion.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans aggressie, aggressie
- aggressieact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- aggressiethe practice or habit of launching attacks
Arabic عُدْوَان, عِدْوَان
- عُدْوَان (ʕudwān)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- عِدْوَان (ʕidwān)the practice or habit of launching attacks
Bulgarian агре́сия, нападе́ние
- агре́сия (agrésija)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- нападе́ние (napadénie)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- агреси́вност (agresívnost)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- агре́сия (agrésija)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Catalan agressió
- agressióact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Chinese Mandarin 侵略, 侵略
- 侵略 (qīnlüè)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- 侵略 (qīnlüè)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- 攻擊 /攻击 (gōngjī, gōngjí)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Czech agrese
- agreseact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Danish aggression
- aggressionact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Dutch agressie, agressie
- agressieact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- agressiethe practice or habit of launching attacks
Esperanto agreso
- agresoact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Estonian agressioon
- agressioonact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Finnish hyökkäys, väkivaltaisuus
- hyökkäysact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- väkivaltaisuusthe practice or habit of launching attacks
- hyökkäävyysthe practice or habit of launching attacks
- väkivaltaisuushostile or destructive behavior or actions
- hyökkäävyyshostile or destructive behavior or actions
French agression, agression
- agressionact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- agressionthe practice or habit of launching attacks
- agressionhostile or destructive behavior or actions
German Aggression, Angriff
- Aggressionact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- Angriffact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- Aggressionthe practice or habit of launching attacks
- Aggressionhostile or destructive behavior or actions
Greek επιθετικότητα, επιθετικότητα
- επιθετικότητα (epithetikótita)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- επιθετικότητα (epithetikótita)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Hebrew תּוֹקְפָנוּת
- תּוֹקְפָנוּת (tokfanút)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
Hungarian agresszió
- agresszióact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Indonesian agresi
- agresiact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Italian aggressione, aggressione
- aggressioneact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- aggressionethe practice or habit of launching attacks
- aggressionehostile or destructive behavior or actions
Japanese 侵略, 侵略
- 侵略 (shinryaku)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- 侵略 (shinryaku)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- 攻撃 (kōgeki)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Korean 침략, 침략
- 침략 (chimnyak)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- 침략 (chimnyak)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- 공격 (gonggyeok)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Latvian agresija
- agresijaact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Lithuanian agrèsija
- agrèsijaact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Malay pencerobohan
- pencerobohanact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Norwegian Bokmål aggresjon
- aggresjonact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Persian تَجاوُز, پرخاش
- تَجاوُز (tajâvoz)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- پرخاش (parxāš)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- پرخاش (parxāš)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- پرخاش (parxāš)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Polish agresja
- agresjaact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Portuguese agressão, agressão
- agressãoact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- agressãothe practice or habit of launching attacks
- agressãohostile or destructive behavior or actions
Romanian agresiune, agresiune
- agresiuneact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- agresiunethe practice or habit of launching attacks
- agresiunehostile or destructive behavior or actions
Russian агре́ссия, нападе́ние
- агре́ссия (agréssija)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- нападе́ние (napadénije)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- агре́ссия (agréssija)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- агресси́вность (agressívnostʹ)the practice or habit of launching attacks
- агре́ссия (agréssija)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
- нападе́ние (napadénije)hostile or destructive behavior or actions
Scottish Gaelic miann còmhraig
- miann còmhraighostile or destructive behavior or actions
Slovak agresia, agresivita
- agresiaact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- agresivitathe practice or habit of launching attacks
- agresívnosťthe practice or habit of launching attacks
- agresiahostile or destructive behavior or actions
Spanish agresión, agresión
- agresiónact of initiating hostilities or invasion
- agresiónhostile or destructive behavior or actions
Swedish aggression
- aggressionact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Thai ความก้าวร้าว, การรุกราน
- ความก้าวร้าว (kwaam-gâao-ráao)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
- การรุกราน (gaan-rúk-raan)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
Turkish saldırganlık
- saldırganlıkact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Ukrainian агре́сія
- агре́сія (ahrésija)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
Vietnamese xâm lược
- xâm lượcact of initiating hostilities or invasion
Yiddish אַגרעסיע
- אַגרעסיע (agresye)act of initiating hostilities or invasion
Cite this entry
APA
aggression. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aggression
MLA
“aggression.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aggression. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aggression,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aggression.
Source: aggression on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.