Hostile means unfriendly and ready to fight. Belligerent means eager to fight, and going looking for it.
The dictionary definitions are close, and the difference is hidden in one word: hostile is 'ready' to argue or fight, belligerent is 'eager' to.
Hostile can be quiet. A new classmate might get a hostile look from the other team after scoring against them, with nobody saying a word. The feeling is unfriendly, and a row could start, but nobody has made a move.
Belligerent is the person who makes the move. A belligerent player argues with every decision the referee makes, squares up to anyone who disagrees and seems to enjoy the argument. They are not just unfriendly: they want the fight.
Angry and eager to fight or argue.
Similar: aggressive, quarrelsome, angry
Very unfriendly and ready to argue or fight.
Similar: unfriendly, angry, aggressive
When a question asks how a character behaves, belligerent tells you they start the trouble, while hostile may only describe how they feel. Picking the right one shows you have read the character's actions, not just their mood.
Definitions and example sentences on this page are the ones a child sees inside Wordrealm, taken from our list of over 1,100 words. It is free to browse, with nothing to sign up for.
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test