Definition
A person or country that attacks first or initiates hostilities without provocation.
Etymology
From Latin 'aggressus', past participle of 'aggredi' meaning 'to approach, attack'. The word evolved through French and entered English in the 17th century, maintaining its core meaning of one who makes the first hostile move.
Kelly Says
The word 'aggressor' carries a built-in moral judgment - it implies not just someone who attacks, but someone who attacks unjustly or without cause. Interestingly, in international law, determining who is the 'aggressor' in a conflict is crucial for establishing legal responsibility and justifying defensive actions.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ተንኮላቸው
tehnkolechew
BNবাংলা
আক্রমণকারী
aakramonkaari
CACatalà
agressor
ah-greh-sohr
CSČeština
agresor
ah-greh-sohr
DADansk
angriber
ahng-ree-bah
DEDeutsch
Angreifer
ahng-ree-fah
ELΕλληνικά
επιτιθέμενος
eh-pee-tee-theh-meh-nohs
ESEspañol
agresor
ah-greh-sohr
FISuomi
hyökkääjä
hyuh-kah-yah
FRFrançais
agresseur
ah-greh-suer
GUGU
આક્રમણકાર
aakramankaar
HAHA
mai kai hari
mah-ee kah-ee hah-ree
HIहिन्दी
आक्रमणकारी
aakramanakaari
HUMagyar
támadó
tah-mah-doh
IDBahasa Indonesia
penyerang
peh-nyeh-rang
IGIG
onye na-ebibi
oh-nyeh nah-eh-bee-bee
ITItaliano
aggressore
ah-greh-soh-reh
KMKM
អ្នកវាយប្រហារ
nek vey prahar
MSBahasa Melayu
penyerang
peh-nyeh-rang
MYမြန်မာ
စီးနင်းသူ
see nin thu
NLNederlands
agressor
ah-greh-sohr
NONorsk
angriper
ahng-ree-peh
PLPolski
agresor
ah-greh-sohr
PTPortuguês
agressor
ah-greh-sohr
RORomână
agresor
ah-greh-sohr
RUРусский
агрессор
ah-greh-sohr
SVSvenska
angripare
ahng-ree-pah-reh
SWKiswahili
mdhibiti
m-dee-bee-tee
TAதமிழ்
தாக்குபவர்
thaakkupavar
TEతెలుగు
దాడి చేసేవాడు
dhaadi cheh-seh-vadu
THไทย
ผู้ก่อการร้าย
phu khor karn rai
TLTL
mananakop
mah-nah-nah-kohp
TRTürkçe
saldırgan
sahldyrahn
UKУкраїнська
агресор
ah-greh-sohr
URاردو
حملہ آور
hamla aawar
VITiếng Việt
kẻ tấn công
keh tahhn kohng
YOYO
oludibo
oh-loo-dee-boh
ZUZU
umdlali
oom-dlah-lee
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Aggressor has been semantically coded as male in conflict narratives; military and legal discourse historically assumed male perpetrators, making the word a gendered linguistic marker of violence.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'aggressor' precisely to describe any actor initiating hostile action, regardless of gender. Avoid using maleness as a default assumption when describing aggression.
Inclusive Alternatives
["initiator of aggression","attacker"]
Empowerment Note
Women's historical roles as resisters, counteraggressors, and targets of aggression are often linguistically erased by conflict narratives centered on male perpetrators.