litigious
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to litigation.
-
excessively or readily inclined to litigate.
a litigious person.
-
inclined to dispute or disagree; argumentative.
- Synonyms:
- quarrelsome, disputatious, contentious
adjective
-
excessively ready to go to law
-
of or relating to litigation
-
inclined to dispute or disagree
Usage
What does litigious mean? 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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of litigious
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin lītigiōsus contentious, equivalent to lītigi ( um ) a quarrel ( see litigant, -ium) + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
If the haunted house staff treats you with extra care and don't subject you to the worst frights, it might not be because they like you, but because they know you're litigious: you tend to sue people. Litigious is the adjective form of litigation, the act of suing someone in court. If a person is called litigious that means they tend to sue people, maybe excessively. If you think that there are too many lawsuits, you think that a litigious culture is not good, but if you think it's important for people to demand compensation for other people's negligence, then maybe you appreciate litigious behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing litigious
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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.
You did one on Scientology, a famously litigious organization.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
But increasingly, as society becomes more litigious, they are adversarial; more like a courtroom TV drama.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
But the two litigious families that did not join the settlement — the Evanses and the Nimans — have a different vision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Not coincidentally, the era was also passionately and inexhaustibly litigious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
The policy is that it’s only supposed to be used for public irrigation—because serving a litigious, finicky public reclaimed water, no matter how clean it is, would be a public relations nightmare.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
