quarrelsome

[ kwawr-uhl-suhm, kwor- ]

/ ˈkwɔr əl səm, ˈkwɒr- /

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See synonyms for: quarrelsome / quarrelsomeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

inclined to quarrel; argumentative; contentious.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of quarrelsome

First recorded in 1590–1600; quarrel¹ + -some¹

OTHER WORDS FROM quarrelsome

quar·rel·some·ly, adverbquar·rel·some·ness, nounun·quar·rel·some, adjective

Words nearby quarrelsome

quarks, quark star, Quarles, Quarnero, quarrel, quarrelsome, quarrian, quarrier, quarry, quarry-faced, quarryman

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

How to use quarrelsome in a sentence

Premarin was marketed in 1941 “to relieve severe menopause symptoms,” Cleghorn reports, but it was also “touted as a relief for husbands burdened by moody, quarrelsome wives.”
How medicine sought to control women’s bodies while ignoring their symptoms|Susan Okie|July 2, 2021|Washington Post
Humans are a quarrelsome lot with a special talent for waging war.
Humans Have Gotten Nicer and Better at Making War - Issue 94: Evolving|Steve Paulson|January 6, 2021|Nautilus
A quarrelsome media, sneers and jeers, doubts and suspicions.
Hollande Should Stand Firm|Bernard-Henri Lévy|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But her quarrelsome ideology does have an appealing contrarian energy.
The Search for Serious Literary Fiction for Republicans|James McGirk|November 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.
Anne Rice's Christianity Crisis|Kirsten Powers|August 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Fitzwilliam was a man of hasty temper, Fitton was said to be vain-glorious and was certainly quarrelsome and litigious.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3)|Richard Bagwell
He was needed to set right his barony, for he himself grew weak and his vassals quarrelsome.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
The notion of a tyrant God can create but abject, angry, quarrelsome, intolerant slaves.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier
They pleaded their conscience, and pretended to have received from Heaven the right to be quarrelsome, turbulent, and rebellious.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier
Preston Congregationalism is a very good, a very respectable, and a very quarrelsome creature.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus

British Dictionary definitions for quarrelsome

quarrelsome

/ (ˈkwɒrəlsəm) /

adjective

inclined to quarrel or disagree; belligerent

Derived forms of quarrelsome

quarrelsomely, adverbquarrelsomeness, 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

quarrelsome

Origin of quarrelsome

OTHER WORDS FROM quarrelsome

Words nearby quarrelsome

Words related to quarrelsome

How to use quarrelsome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quarrelsome

Derived forms of quarrelsome