litigious

Litigious is an adjective that’s used to describe a person or organization that is prone to suing other people or companies.

It typically implies that such lawsuits are frivolous or excessive.

The related verb litigate means to engage in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one.

Litigate can also be used in a somewhat figurative or general way meaning to intensely dispute or argue something, as if one were a lawyer in a courtroom setting, as in It’s just a minor issue—we don’t have to litigate it over and over again.  

In the same way, litigious can also be used to describe someone who’s prone to arguing. A close synonym is argumentative.

The tendency to be litigious is called litigiousness.

Less commonly, litigious can also be used to describe anything involving litigation.

Example: The megacorporation is known for being litigious—constantly firing off lawsuits as a first resort.

The first records of the word litigious come from the 1300s. It derives from the Latin lītigiōsus, which means “contentious” and is related to the Latin lītigi(um), meaning “a quarrel.”

Companies considered litigious are often those that use lawsuits as a normal way of doing business. A person who’s described as litigious in this way often sues people or organizations all time, engaging in one lawsuit after another.

Someone who’s described as litigious in a general sense is always arguing, especially in a tedious way, as if they were a lawyer in a courtroom.

Both senses of the word are typically applied to people or companies who tend to wear others down with their constant litigating.

What are some other forms related to litigious?

• litigiously (adverb)
• litigiousness (noun)
• litigiosity (noun)

What are some synonyms for litigious?

• argumentative

What are some words that share a root or word element with litigious? 

• litigation
• litigator
• litigant
• litigable

What are some words that often get used in discussing litigious?

• lawsuit
• lawyer
• attorney
• dispute
• argue
• company

The word litigious is most commonly used in the context of lawsuits, but it can also be used in a general way.

Big rumours swirling about Roman Abromovich. We won't be commentating on the notoriously litigious oligarch until it's written in stone

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) March 25, 2013

No one wants the liability. It’s happening everywhere because we live in such a litigious society.

— Emily Nelms Chastain (@revemilync) June 26, 2020

Student journalism matters. Unfortunately, it’s under threat by litigious corporations, angry alumni, and incompetent admins.https://t.co/4QceRwb5KC https://t.co/LnnP1uHVjh

— Jeffrey Sachs (@JeffreyASachs) September 27, 2019

Is litigious used correctly in the following sentence? 

One of the other students in my class is so litigious that every time he answers a question it turns into a debate.