Assaultiveness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of showing readiness or willingness to attack or behave aggressively
2. A characteristic marked by forceful or hostile behavior aimed at others
3. The inclination to act in an offensive or combative manner towards people or situations

Etymology: "Assaultiveness" is a plain formation: the adjective "assaultive," meaning given to attacking or assault, with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun. The adjective itself is built from "assault," which came into English from Old French "asaut," from Latin "assaltus," the past participle of "assilire" (to leap at). Its earliest sense was a physical attack, and the "-ive" of "assaultive" marks a disposition toward that act. The suffix "-ness," from Old English "-nes," has been used since the earliest English to form nouns of state or quality from adjectives, so "assaultiveness" simply names the condition of being assaultive. Because the pattern is so productive, the word needs no special coinage; it is the kind of noun speakers form whenever they want to describe a tendency rather than a single act.

Synonyms: aggressiveness, belligerence, hostility, pugnacity, combative nature

Antonyms: passiveness, gentleness, calmness, nonviolence, peacefulness