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

• quarrelsomeness noun
• quarrelsomely adverb
• unquarrelsome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarrelsome¹

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

Example Sentences

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

From Salon

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".

From BBC

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".

From BBC

But in grieving his lost youth, he became quarrelsome and sometimes belligerent.

From Los Angeles Times

Paranoid, controlling, quarrelsome and rigid, LadyBird turns out to have a traumatic secret of her own.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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