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contentious

[ kuhn-ten-shuhs ]
/ kənˈtɛn ʃəs /
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See synonyms for: contentious / contentiousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
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.
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Origin of contentious

1400–50; late Middle English contenciose<Latin contentiōsus, equivalent to contenti(ō) contention + -ōsus-ous

OTHER WORDS FROM contentious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contentious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contentious

contentious
/ (kənˈtɛnʃəs) /

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

Derived forms of contentious

contentiously, adverbcontentiousness, 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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