contentious
Americanadjective
-
tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome.
a contentious crew.
- Synonyms:
- argumentative, disputatious
-
causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy.
contentious issues.
-
Law. pertaining to causes between contending or opposing parties.
adjective
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contentious
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English contenciose, from Latin contentiōsus, from contenti(ō) contention + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
A contentious issue is one that people are likely to argue about, and a contentious person is someone who likes to argue or fight. Some issues are very controversial. They're also contentious, because people tend to argue about them, and the arguments will probably go on forever. Contentious issues get people angry and in a fighting mood. On the other hand, some people always seem to be in a fighting mood, no matter what the issue is. People like that are contentious too.
Vocabulary lists containing contentious
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Haass chaired all-party talks in Northern Ireland in 2013 aimed at resolving contentious issues, including parades.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
I only posit that it’s important to understand art — especially contentious art about pertinent crises — on a cellular level to learn what it, and our responses to it, can teach us.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
The clashing versions add another twist to protracted, and often contentious, talks between Washington and Seoul over last year’s trade pact.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
So how did a Uefa Nations League match become one of the most contentious fixtures in football?
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
And yet these privileged protesters did not allow their actions in support of maintenance workers to be blurred by the other contentious issues of the day.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
