Tough and callous by virtue of experience.

synonyms: hard-bitten, hard-boiled.

Roget 720: contending etc. v.; together by the ears, at loggerheads.    at war.    at issue.    competitive, rival; belligerent; contentious, combative, bellicose, unpeaceful^†; warlike etc. 722; quarrelsome etc. 901; pugnacious; pugilistic, gladiatorial; palestric^†, palestrical^†.    ... show more

Roget 861: courageous, brave; valiant, valorous; gallant, intrepid; spirited, spiritful^†; high-spirited, high-mettled^†; mettlesome, plucky; manly, manful; resolute; stout, stout-hearted; iron-hearted, lion-hearted; heart of oak; Penthesilean.    bold, bold-spirited; daring, audacious; fearless, dauntless, dreadless^†, aweless; undaunted, unappalled, undismayed, unawed, unblanched, unabashed, unalarmed, unflinching, unshrinking^†, unblanching^†, unapprehensive; confident, self-reliant; bold as a lion, bold as brass.    enterprising, adventurous; venturous, venturesome; dashing, chivalrous; soldierly etc. (warlike) 722; heroic.    fierce, savage; pugnacious etc. (bellicose) 720.    strong-minded, hardy, doughty; firm etc. (stable) 150; determined etc. (resolved) 604; dogged, indomitable etc. (persevering) 604.1. up to, up to the scratch; upon one's mettle; reassured etc. v.; unfeared^†, undreaded^†.    ... show more

Roget 901: irascible; bad-tempered, ill-tempered; irritable, susceptible; excitable etc. 825; thin-skinned etc. (sensitive) 822; fretful, fidgety; on the fret.    hasty, overhasty, quick, warm, hot, testy, touchy, techy^†, tetchy; like touchwood, like tinder; huffy, pettish, petulant; waspish, snappish, peppery, fiery, passionate, choleric, shrewish, sudden and quick in quarrel" [As You Like It]. querulous, captious, moodish^†; quarrelsome, contentious, disputatious; pugnacious etc. (bellicose) 720; cantankerous, exceptious^†; restiff etc. (perverse) 901.1^†; churlish etc. (discourteous) 895.    cross, cross as crabs, cross as two sticks, cross as a cat, cross as a dog, cross as the tongs; fractious, peevish, acari=atre^†.    in a bad temper; sulky etc. 901.1; angry etc. 900.    resentful, resentive^†; vindictive etc. 919.    ... show more

Ready and able to resort to force or violence:
— Pugnacious spirits...lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance.

synonym: rough.