aggression

C1 Topic:People & Society

US /əˈɡɹɛʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #9416

Meanings

1

noun
Angry or violent behaviour or feelings towards another person.

The dog showed sudden aggression when strangers approached the gate.
2

noun
A hostile attack by one country or group against another.

The invasion was condemned worldwide as an act of aggression.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · angry or violent behaviour... hostility aggressiveness

Opposites

nonaggression

Word family

Forms aggressions

Derived forms aggressionismaggressionistantiaggressionautoaggressioncounteraggressioncyberaggressionhyperaggressionmacroaggressionmicroaggressionnanoaggressionoveraggressionpassive-aggression

Related forms aggress aggressive aggressiveness aggressor

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

passive aggression
hostility expressed indirectly through obstruction, delay, or deliberate noncooperation

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Aggression entered English in the early 17th century with the sense ‘an attack’. It belongs to a Latin word family built on gradi ‘to walk, proceed’, and developed through the idea of proceeding toward someone or something.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-der. Latin gradior Latin aggredior Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin aggressiōder. Middle French aggressionbor. English aggression From Middle French aggression, from Latin aggressio, from aggressus, past participle of aggredior (“to approach, address, attack”). By surface analysis, aggress + -ion.

aggression Middle French aggressio Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Psychology & Behavior Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# aggression

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈɡɹɛʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 9416

## Meanings
1. Angry or violent behaviour or feelings towards another person.
2. A hostile attack by one country or group against another.

## Examples
- The dog showed sudden aggression when strangers approached the gate.
- The invasion was condemned worldwide as an act of aggression.

## Antonyms
- nonaggression

## Derived Forms
- aggressionism
- aggressionist
- antiaggression
- autoaggression
- counteraggression
- cyberaggression
- hyperaggression
- macroaggression
- microaggression
- nanoaggression
- overaggression
- passive-aggression

## Related Forms
- aggress
- aggressive
- aggressiveness
- aggressor

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: aggression
- Root: aggressio

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-der. Latin gradior Latin aggredior Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin aggressiōder. Middle French aggressionbor. English aggression From Middle French aggression, from Latin aggressio, from aggressus, past participle of aggredior (“to approach, address, attack”). By surface analysis, aggress + -ion.

## AI Etymology
Aggression is from Middle French aggression, from Latin aggressio, from aggressus, past participle of aggredior (“to approach, address, attack”). By surface analysis, aggress + -ion. The historical chain records Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd, Proto-Italic *ad, Proto-Italic *ad-, Latin ad-, Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-, Latin gradior, Latin aggredior, Proto-Indo-European *-tis, Proto-Italic *-tjō, Latin -tiō, Latin aggressiō, Middle, French aggression, and English aggression. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include aggression (Middle French) and aggressio (Latin). Current senses include angry or violent behaviour or feelings towards another person and a hostile attack by one country or group against another. The wider family includes derived forms such as aggressionism, aggressionist, antiaggression, autoaggression, and counteraggression and related words such as aggress, aggressive, aggressiveness, and aggressor.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Psychology & Behavior
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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