contentious
Use Contentious in a sentence
ʃəs 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
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.
1. disputatious, argumentative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To contentious
00:10
Contentious
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is whimsical. Does it mean:
| imaginative; unpredictable |
| fierce; cruel; brutally harsh or aggressively hostile |
Collins
World English Dictionary
contentious (kənˈtɛnʃəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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
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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
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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.
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