disputatious

Also dis·put·a·tive

[dis-pyoo-tey-shuhs]

adjective

1. fond of or given to disputation; argumentative; contentious.

   disputatious litigants.

disputatious

/ dɪˈspjuːtətɪv, ˌdɪspjʊˈteɪʃəs /

adjective

1. inclined to argument

Other Word Forms

• disputatiousness noun
• disputatiously adverb
• nondisputatious adjective
• nondisputatiously adverb
• nondisputatiousness noun
• undisputatious adjective
• undisputatiously adverb
• undisputatiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disputatious¹

First recorded in 1650–60; disputati(on) + -ous

Example Sentences

Historical scholarship on the draft riots is intensive and disputatious; my only concluding point is that they seem to contain all the most painful and contradictory lessons of our nation’s history in compressed form.

Read more on Salon

“John Proctor” may sound like a relentlessly disputatious drama, but it’s a deeply emotional work.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This disputatious sociopolitical drama is cunningly packaged as a romantic comedy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Stereophonic,” an acclaimed behind-the-music play about a disputatious band recording a studio album, will transfer to Broadway this spring following a buzzy and sold-out Off Broadway run.

Read more on New York Times

Private, internal anger at his failings was a good thing, he claimed, a "disputatious culture" better than a "quietly acquiescent" one.

Read more on BBC