contentious
tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome: a contentious crew.
causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy: contentious issues.
Law. pertaining to causes between contending or opposing parties.
Origin of contentious
1Other 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
A new study released today in Obstetrics & Gynecology could close this contentious question for good.
Abortion Complications Are Rare, No Matter What the Right Says | Samantha Allen | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was the first case brought under the Voting Rights Act, so the hearing proved contentious.
Honoring The Late John Doar, A Nearly Forgotten Hero Of The Civil Rights Era | Gary May | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTArkansas has long had a contentious relationship with alcohol.
It became a model, rarely emulated, of how digital tools can be used to find common ground in a contentious society.
Those that are hesitant about Powell may point to her contentious “resignation” as the first female ambassador to India in March.
Opposed to the Brachmanes there are philosophers, called Pramnæ, contentious people, and fond of argument.
"A man shouldn't speak more than twice in his first session, and not at first on too contentious a topic," said Sir Edward.
The New Machiavelli | Herbert George WellsPossessing a high tempered and somewhat contentious nature, Giberne was involved in numerous sharp controversies.
Journal and Letters of Philip Vickers Fithian: A Plantation Tutor of the Old Dominion, 1773-1774. | Philip Vickers FithianWith unbounded wealth and means of enjoyment, they grew ennuyéed, discontented, and finally contentious.
What but jealousy could give a man that sore contentious wish for the detail of what would make him suffer?
The Altar of the Dead | Henry James
British Dictionary definitions for contentious
/ (kənˈtɛnʃəs) /
tending to argue or quarrel
causing or characterized by dispute; controversial
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
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