- always ready to argue; quarrelsome
- of or marked by contention
- provoking or likely to provoke controversy: a contentious proposal
Origin of contentious
Middle English contencios from Classical Latin contentiosus: see contention
Everyone will enjoy the family gathering as long as Uncle Reuben doesn't bring up any contentious topics of discussion such as politics.
- An example of contentious is a person who always likes to argue.
- An example of contentious is a tense situation that is likely to lead to arguments.
The definition of contentious is someone who is argumentative or a situation where there is discord.
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"contentious." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS>.
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contentious. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS
contentious
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"contentious." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS>.
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contentious. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS
contentious
adjective
- Given to contention; quarrelsome. See Synonyms at argumentative.
- Involving or causing contention; controversial: “a central and contentious element of the book” ( Tim W. Ferguson )
Related Forms:
- con·ten′tious·ly
adverb
- con·ten′tious·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"contentious." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS>.
APA Style
contentious. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS
Adjective
(comparative more contentious, superlative most contentious)
- Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
- Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"contentious." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS>.
APA Style
contentious. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTENTIOUS
Sentence Examples
- It has been a contentious issue for decades.
- There was contentious debate over the use of genetically modified crops.
- Why are contentious topics so often thrown together?
- A division of share rights agreements becomes contentious where the target company's country has a domestic CGT regime.
- Points in the draft that we view as helpful may appear contentious to some of them.
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