agresivo
adjectiveCEFR B2
What does “agresivo” mean in English?
aggressive — forceful or hostile in behaviour; also: boldly competitive in strategy
aggressive — forceful or hostile in behaviour; also: boldly competitive in strategy (estrategia agresiva, campaña agresiva)
Example sentences
El banco adoptó una política de expansión agresiva que le permitió triplicar su cuota de mercado en tres años.
The bank adopted an aggressive expansion policy that allowed it to triple its market share in three years.
Las negociaciones se volvieron agresivas cuando ninguna de las partes quiso ceder en sus posiciones iniciales.
The negotiations became aggressive when neither side was willing to give ground on their initial positions.
El lenguaje agresivo en las redes sociales deteriora el debate público y desincentiva la participación ciudadana.
Aggressive language on social media deteriorates public debate and discourages civic participation.
How to use it
Agresivo/a means 'aggressive' — can describe behaviour (hostile, confrontational) or strategy (forceful, competitive). At B2, the figurative/commercial sense is as important as the literal: una campaña agresiva, una estrategia de precios agresiva, unas negociaciones muy agresivas. Ser vs estar: with behavioural senses, both are possible — 'es agresivo' (habitually aggressive character) vs 'está muy agresivo hoy' (unusually aggressive today). The business/strategy sense uses ser: 'su política de expansión es muy agresiva'.
Common mistake
The commercial/strategic meaning of agresivo ('aggressive strategy/pricing') is a B2 collocation that learners often avoid, defaulting to the literal hostile-behaviour sense. In journalism and business writing, una campaña agresiva / unos precios agresivos are standard and neutral in register. Also: agresivo with ser describes a stable character trait; with estar it signals a current, potentially atypical state.