litigious

[li-tij-uhs]

adjective

1. of or relating to litigation.

2. excessively or readily inclined to litigate.

   a litigious person.

3. inclined to dispute or disagree; argumentative.

   Synonyms: quarrelsome, disputatious, contentious

litigious

/ lɪˈtɪdʒəs /

adjective

1. excessively ready to go to law

2. of or relating to litigation

3. inclined to dispute or disagree

Other Word Forms

• litigiously adverb
• litigiousness noun
• litigiosity noun
• nonlitigious adjective
• nonlitigiously adverb
• nonlitigiousness noun
• unlitigious adjective
• unlitigiously adverb
• unlitigiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of litigious¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin lītigiōsus contentious, equivalent to lītigi ( um ) a quarrel ( litigant, -ium ) + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of litigious¹

C14: from Latin lītigiōsus quarrelsome, from lītigium strife

Example Sentences

Whereas America’s litigious culture forces bona fide compliance with national and international law, Chinese companies are rife with fraud and theatrics.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Grammy-winning rapper, in the midst of promoting her sophomore album, “Am I the Drama?,” and after securing a victory over a litigious security guard, is pregnant with her fourth child.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s a point of pride that no one sued to overturn the commission’s work, a rarity in the highly litigious field of redistricting.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“It’s strange, I guess, that it’s taking this long. ... But it’s probably a report that needs to be reviewed by everybody. And it is California — a pretty litigious culture.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I’m not a litigious person, but I do want change, concrete change,” Ward said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• belligerent 
• combative 
• contentious 

When To Use

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.