quarrelsome

[kwawr-uhl-suhm, kwor-]

adjective

1. inclined to quarrel; argumentative; contentious.

quarrelsome

/ ˈkwɒrəlsəm /

adjective

1. inclined to quarrel or disagree; belligerent

Other Word Forms

• quarrelsomely adverb
• quarrelsomeness noun
• unquarrelsome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarrelsome¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; quarrel ¹ + -some ¹

Example Sentences

“By choice, she did not emphasize her feminine qualities,” he wrote, adding that she was secretive and quarrelsome.

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Much of the reason the Ripa-Consuelos team has been successful on TV is that they are enthusiastic, quarrelsome in an amusing way, but also intense.

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If women resist men, however, they are seen as quarrelsome and disobedient, and no longer trustworthy.

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The opposition Socialist Party said the country had been "liberated from a political hostage situation", with leader Jimmy Dijk calling the governing coalition "four right-wing quarrelsome parties that achieve nothing".

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According to Penguin Random House, the book depicts the story of "two quarrelsome old men in Chennai, India, who experience private tragedy against the backdrop of national calamity".

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Related Words

• belligerent 
• cantankerous 
• combative 
• contentious 
• fractious 
• litigious 
• petulant 
• tempestuous 
• turbulent 
• unruly