contentious

adjective

con·ten·tious kən-ˈten(t)-shəs

Synonyms of contentious

: likely to cause disagreement or argument

a contentious issue

: exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes

a man of a most contentious nature

contentiously adverb

contentiousness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for contentious

belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious, quarrelsome, contentious mean having an aggressive or fighting attitude.

belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

Examples of contentious in a Sentence

In the perpetual skirmish between science and religion, biological evolution is a contentious battle ground. —Barry A. Palevitz, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 1999

Creator Jim Davis had spent two years fine-tuning the contentious relationship between the grouchy cat, his milquetoast owner, Jon (Davis' pen-and-ink alter ego), and befuddled dog Odie—in a strip he'd thought would be called Jon. —Beth Johnson, Entertainment Weekly, 19 June 1998

Historians, admittedly a contentious lot, have failed even to agree on what to call King Philip's War. —Jill Lepore, The Name of War, 1998

My mental attitude when drinking is both contentious and malicious, and while in this mood and state I was the author of statements which I know to be wholly unfounded. —Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

These comments seemed to further his feud with the agency following a contentious 2018 Tesla settlement over Musk's tweets that resulted in the Supreme Court declining to hear Musk's arguments against his tweets being monitored by the SEC. —ArsTechnica, 31 Mar. 2025 And with that, Bob Dylan continued to play electric, despite the contentious crowd. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 31 Mar. 2025 An initial minerals deal went unsigned following Trump’s contentious Oval Office meeting with Zelensky in February. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025 The pair, who called it quits for the second time in August 2023, are still in the midst of their contentious divorce. —Karen Fratti, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contentious

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contenciose "quarrelsome," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French contencieux "subject to disagreement," borrowed from Latin contentiōsus "persistent, obstinate, argumentative, quarrelsome," from contentiō "exertion, competition, contention" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of contentious was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century