as in quarrel
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
there was a bit of a contretemps over the seating arrangements for the upcoming wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contretemps
Moore’s personal biography – despite these minor contretemps – proved more than compelling enough for Maryland voters.
—
Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 9 Nov. 2022
To outsiders, the summer’s weeks-long contretemps over the prime minister’s after-hours activities might seem like a tempest in a Nordic teapot.
—Michael Hunt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
The Dallas visit avoided the contretemps of the Washington portion of the trip.
—Dallas News, 2 June 2022
The normally dignified sport had a brief contretemps at the time of the opening game this year.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for contretemps
Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 9 Nov. 2022
To outsiders, the summer’s weeks-long contretemps over the prime minister’s after-hours activities might seem like a tempest in a Nordic teapot.
—Michael Hunt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
The Dallas visit avoided the contretemps of the Washington portion of the trip.
—Dallas News, 2 June 2022
The normally dignified sport had a brief contretemps at the time of the opening game this year.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for contretemps
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contretemps
Noun
-
De Silva, police noted, was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the quarrel and was not believed to have been the target.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Packers owned a 22-19 lead in the fourth quarter when Steelers linebacker Nick Niemann was flagged for instigating an altercation.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Other behaviors that commonly cause altercations during flights include shouting, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, and reclining your seat without consideration for the person sitting behind.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Arenas has since said the dispute started over a game of bourré.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The dispute has largely remained peaceful so far.—
Omar S Mahmood,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Legendary rapper Jay-Z came out in defense of Bad Bunny amid controversy over the Puerto Rican recording artist being tapped to perform at the Super Bowl LX halftime show.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Succeeding on OnlyFans in 2025 often means having a high tolerance for controversy, negative attention, the willingness to troll, and an ability to flip tsunamis of online haters into fans.—
Taylor Lorenz,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The dispute could affect billions of dollars in cross-border trade and set a new precedent for handling disagreements over the use of public figures and historic addresses in political messaging.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The sentiment is consistent across political party affiliations, with 75% of Republicans, 82% of Independents and 79% of Democrats expressing disagreement.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, some of those party guests already know each other, like Morgan, Sasha, and Esther, and the latter two bicker beforehand about how to best approach the Morgan-sized elephant in the room.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
-
In a lengthy scene in the desert, the camera pans to each character, isolating them or putting them in pairings to argue, bicker, and reveal themselves.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The best argument to count the goal?—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Brooks, who lives across the street from where the stabbing happened, got into an argument with the teacher before going to his home to get a knife, KUSA reported.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
When police arrived, however, there was no sign of any fight or crime scene.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contretemps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contretemps. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share