contentious

[ kuhn-ten-shuhs ]
See synonyms for: contentiouscontentiousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome: a contentious crew.

  2. causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy: contentious issues.

  1. Law. pertaining to causes between contending or opposing parties.

Origin of contentious

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English contenciose, from Latin contentiōsus, from contenti(ō) contention + -ōsus -ous

Other words for contentious

Other words from contentious

  • 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

Words Nearby contentious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use contentious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contentious

contentious

/ (kənˈtɛnʃəs) /


adjective
  1. tending to argue or quarrel

  2. causing or characterized by dispute; controversial

  1. law relating to a cause or legal business that is contested, esp a probate matter

Derived forms of contentious

  • contentiously, adverb
  • contentiousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012