combative
/kəmˈbæ.tɪv/adjective
combative is spelled C-O-M-B-A-T-I-V-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, combative means “Given to fighting; disposed to engage in combat; pugnacious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in combative?
| Letters | 9: C-O-M-B-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is combative?
Combative appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce combative?
- UK /ˈkɒm.bə.tɪv/
- UK /kɒmˈbæ.tɪv/
- US /kəmˈbæ.tɪv/
Combative has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-combative.wav, En-us-combative.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of combative
- more combative comparative
- most combative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does combative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Given to fighting; disposed to engage in combat; pugnacious.
Their combative conduct leads to many problems.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Combative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense given to fighting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | combatif |
| German | kampfeslustig, kampflustig, kämpferisch, streitlustig, streitsüchtig, streitbar |
| Portuguese | combativo |
| Spanish | combativo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does combative come from?
From combat + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).