aggress

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /əˈɡrɛs/ UK /əˈɡrɛs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to attack or behave aggressively toward another

The cornered animal will aggress if it feels threatened.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to attack or behave... attack assail assault provoke

Opposites

retreat withdraw defend

Word family

Derived forms aggression aggressive aggressor

Related forms egress ingress progress congress

Etymology

From Latin aggressus, past participle of aggredi ('to approach, attack'), from ad ('to') + gradi ('to step, walk'), from gradus ('step').

aggredi Latin gradi Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# aggress

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈɡrɛs/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈɡrɛs/

## Meanings
1. to attack or behave aggressively toward another

## Examples
- The cornered animal will aggress if it feels threatened.

## Synonyms
- attack
- assail
- assault
- provoke

## Antonyms
- retreat
- withdraw
- defend

## Derived Forms
- aggression
- aggressive
- aggressor

## Related Forms
- egress
- ingress
- progress
- congress

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: aggredi
- Root: gradi

## Etymology
From Latin aggressus, past participle of aggredi ('to approach, attack'), from ad ('to') + gradi ('to step, walk'), from gradus ('step').

## AI Etymology
aggress comes from Latin aggressus, past participle of aggredi ('to approach, attack'), from ad ('to') + gradi ('to step, walk'), from gradus ('step'). Morphologically, the word is transparent as a compound: its parts remain visible in the modern spelling, while the older history of those parts supplies the deeper ancestry. In modern use, the verb sense is "to attack or behave aggressively toward another", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as egress, ingress, progress, congress and derivatives such as aggression, aggressive, aggressor, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Latin aggredi, Latin gradi, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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