contentious
adjective
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If everyone has a bone to pick now and then, contentious types have entire skeletons. While English has plenty of words for people prone to fighting—combative and belligerent among them—contentious implies a fondness for arguing that others find particularly tedious or wearying. Thankfully, even the most contentious cranks and crabs among us have no cause to quibble over the history of the word contentious, as its origins are very clear: contentious comes (by way of Middle French) from the Latin adjective contentiōsus, meaning “persistent, obstinate, argumentative, or quarrelsome.”
Examples of contentious in a Sentence
Barry A. Palevitz, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 1999
Creator Jim Davis had spent two years fine-tuning the contentious relationship between the grouchy cat, his milquetoast owner, Jon (Davis' pen-and-ink alter ego), and befuddled dog Odie—in a strip he'd thought would be called Jon.
—Beth Johnson, Entertainment Weekly, 19 June 1998
Historians, admittedly a contentious lot, have failed even to agree on what to call King Philip's War.
—Jill Lepore, The Name of War, 1998
My mental attitude when drinking is both contentious and malicious, and while in this mood and state I was the author of statements which I know to be wholly unfounded.
—Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914
After a contentious debate, members of the committee finally voted to approve the funding.
The dispute involves one of the region's most contentious leaders.
Calmatters, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
But much of his story focuses on Spears and their tumultuous romance, from the whirlwind of attention to their inevitably contentious dynamic.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Diversity, equity, and inclusion has taken on a life of its own politically, and as with many contentious issues, the state has issued legal guidance on how it must be addressed.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
The first round of talks between the two sides was contentious.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contentious
Cite this Entry
“Contentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contentious. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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