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contentious
Use
Contentious
in a sentence
con·ten·tious
/
kənˈtɛn
ʃəs
/
Show Spelled
[
k
uh
n-
ten
-sh
uh
s
]
Show IPA
adjective
1.
tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome:
a contentious crew.
2.
causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy:
contentious issues.
3.
Law.
pertaining to causes between
contending
parties.
Origin:
1400–50;
late Middle English
contenciose
<
Latin
contentiōsus,
equivalent to
contenti
(
ō
)
contention
+
-ōsus
-ous
Related forms
con·ten·tious·ly,
adverb
con·ten·tious·ness,
noun
non·con·ten·tious,
adjective
non·con·ten·tious·ly,
adverb
o·ver·con·ten·tious,
adjective
o·ver·con·ten·tious·ly,
adverb
o·ver·con·ten·tious·ness,
noun
un·con·ten·tious,
adjective
un·con·ten·tious·ly,
adverb
un·con·ten·tious·ness,
noun
Synonyms
1.
disputatious, argumentative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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contentious
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00:10
Contentious
is a GRE word you need to know.
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imaginative; unpredictable
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full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked:
the quality or condition of being incompetent; lack of ability.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
contentious
(kənˈtɛnʃəs)
—
adj
1.
tending to argue or quarrel
2.
causing or characterized by dispute; controversial
3.
law
relating to a cause or legal business that is contested, esp a probate matter
con'tentiously
—
adv
con'tentiousness
—
n
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
contentious
early 15c., from Fr. contentieux, from L. contentiosus "quarrelsome," from contendere (see
contend
). Related: Contentiousness (1570s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Building new motorways is almost as
contentious
as putting new roads through
urban areas.
It's a great way to take complicated,
contentious
issues and simplify them,
making them easier to understand.
College football's bowl season is always
contentious
, but this one seems
particularly so.
Direct detection of dark matter particles, however, has proved elusive-and
contentious
.
In the last several weeks, the company has been stuck in
contentious
labor negotiations with its pilots and flight attendants.
Comb jellies sit alongside two other major groups near the base of the tree, but their relative positions remain
contentious
.
Another possible area of conflict, which is considerably more
contentious
, is that of morality.
Contentious
negotiations ensued over, among other things, the financing of the company through bankruptcy.
Some hires are more
contentious
than others, depending on the field and on faculty interests.
Its attorneys routinely litigate matters involving billions of dollars and highly-
contentious
issues of national importance.
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Synonyms
argumentative
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