Adjacent Words

Contentious definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTENTIOUS, a.
1. Apt to contend; given to angry debate; quarrelsome; perverse.
A continual dropping in a rainy day, and a contentious woman are alike. Proverbs 27.
2. Relating to contention in law; relating to litigation; having power to decide causes between contending parties; as a court of contentious jurisdiction.
3. Exciting or adapted to provoke contention or disputes; as a contentious subject.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits; "a style described as abrasive and contentious"; "a disputatious lawyer"; "a litigious and acrimonious spirit" [syn: contentious, combative, disputatious, disputative, litigious]
2: involving or likely to cause controversy; "a central and contentious element of the book"- Tim W.Ferfuson

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 15th century 1. likely to cause contention <a contentious argument> 2. exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes <a man of a most contentious nature> Synonyms: see belligerent • contentiously adverb • contentiousness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 argumentative, quarrelsome. 2 likely to cause an argument; disputed, controversial. Derivatives: contentiously adv. contentiousness n. Etymology: ME f. OF contentieux f. L contentiosus (as contention)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contentious Con*ten"tious, a. [L. contentiosus: cf. F. contentieux.] 1. Fond of contention; given to angry debate; provoking dispute or contention; quarrelsome. Despotic and contentious temper. --Macaulay. 2. Relating to contention or strife; involving or characterized by contention. --Spenser. More cheerful, though not less contentious, regions. --Brougham. 3. (Law) Contested; litigated; litigious; having power to decide controversy. Contentious jurisdiction (Eng. Eccl. Law), jurisdiction over matters in controversy between parties, in contradistinction to voluntary jurisdiction, or that exercised upon matters not opposed or controverted. Syn: Quarrelsome; pugnacious; dissentious; wrangling; litigious; perverse; peevish. -- Con*ten"tious*ly, adv. -- Con*ten"tious*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

A contentious issue causes a lot of disagreement or arguments. (FORMAL) Sanctions are expected to be among the most contentious issues. ...a country where land prices are politically contentious. = controversial ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Quarrelsome, cross, petulant, perverse, pugnacious, litigious, wrangling. 2. Disputatious, captious, cavilling.

Moby Thesaurus

aggravating, aggravative, aggressive, annoying, antagonistic, argumental, argumentative, battling, bellicose, belligerent, bloodthirsty, bloody, bloody-minded, cat-and-dog, cat-and-doggish, chauvinist, chauvinistic, combative, controversial, dialectic, disputatious, enemy, eristic, exasperating, exasperative, ferocious, fierce, fighting, full of fight, hawkish, hostile, ill-humored, inimical, irritating, jingo, jingoish, jingoist, jingoistic, litigious, logomachic, martial, militant, militaristic, military, offensive, pilpulistic, polemic, pro and con, provocative, pugnacious, quarrelsome, saber-rattling, sanguinary, sanguineous, savage, scrappy, soldierlike, soldierly, trigger-happy, truculent, unfriendly, unpacific, unpeaceable, unpeaceful, warlike, warmongering, warring