Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Given to contention; quarrelsome. See Synonyms at argumentative, belligerent.
- adj. Involving or likely to cause contention; controversial: "a central and contentious element of the book” ( Tim W. Ferguson).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Apt to contend; given to angry debate; quarrelsome; perverse; litigious.
- Relating to or characterized by contention or strife; involving contention or debate.
- In law, relating to causes between contending parties.
Wiktionary
- adj. Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
- adj. Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Fond of contention; given to angry debate; provoking dispute or contention; quarrelsome.
- adj. Relating to contention or strife; involving or characterized by contention.
- adj. (Law) Contested; litigated; litigious; having power to decide controversy.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits
- adj. involving or likely to cause controversy
Etymologies
- From Latin contentiōsus ("quarrelsome, perverse"), from contentiō ("contention"), from contendere, past participle contentus ("to contend"); see contend. Confer French contentieux, corresponding to content + -ious (Wiktionary)
Examples
“However, he also studies what he calls contentious (eristikos) or sophistical arguments: these he defines as arguments which only apparently establish their conclusions.”
“CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Democrats splinter in contentious health care reform debate « - Blogs from CNN. com”
“I also like the possibility of the DRL keeping a huge parking lot out of that certain contentious Big Box development down on Eastern Ave. Comment by Yukon”
» City Council boards the DRL bandwagon • Spacing Toronto • understanding the urban landscape
“Democrats splinter in contentious health care reform debate”
“Within archaeology, Mr. Binford was known as a contentious advocate for his ideas.”
“SMU Within archaeology, Mr. Binford was known as a contentious advocate for his ideas.”
“The reason The Path has been so contentious is because it isn't particularly pleasant to play; it deals with some pretty uncomfortable issues, and there isn't much of a game mechanic as such.”
“The race to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) was contentious from the start.”
The Washington Post: Democratic National Committee transfers total $20 million
“There are plenty of reasons why recording a phone call might be useful, ranging from having an exact record of what was said in contentious battles with a service provider through to making notes on work projects afterwards (a common plight for journalists).”
Can You Legally Record Phone Calls In Australia? | Lifehacker Australia
“As we call a contentious era in European history the Hundred Years 'War, so our war in "the Greater Middle East" has already gone on for 30 years, give or take a few.”
Tom Engelhardt: Who's Next? Lessons from the Long War and a Blowback World
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘contentious’.
-
GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
-
EU Buzz - ALL words and expressions
A combined list of
1. EU Buzz - single words
2. EU Buzz - collocations
3. EU Buzz - the 100 most active
collocation constituentsabsorption capacity, absorption rate, acceding country, accession candidate, accession countries, accession country, accession criteria, accession cycle, accession negotia..., accession partner..., accession priorities, accession treaty and 2650 more...
-
Familiar
Just a list of words
fulminate, unctuous, malediction, lumpenproletariat, descry, surfeit, sententious, supernumerary, unabashed, picayune, obliterate, decry and 109 more...
-
501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
-
GRE Barron's 800
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abject, abjure, abscission, abscond, abstemious, abstinence, abysmal, accretion and 787 more...
-
Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
-
501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
-
From reading
Collected from reading
venerate, reprobate, reticent, adoration, ethereal, ephemeral, equivocal, contumacious, heinous, solicitous, agnostic, aberration and 335 more...
-
EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
-
501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
-
501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
-
EU Buzz - single words (1+2+3)
1. Strictly EU terms with special European meaning used only in the EU
+
2. Keywords central to the understanding of the EU (people working for the EU are usually able to give thematic...acceleration, action, additionality, administrator, agenda, agricultural, agri-environmental, agriflation, agri-food, applicant, approach, assent and 1325 more...
-
others
impish, inebriate, contentious, thwart, money laundering, cobber, ombudsman, exchequer, sordid, bog, braggadocio, spooky and 10 more...
-
Go over
mollify, obstinate, obviate, occlude, onerous, obscure, paragon, pedantic, perfunctory, placate, placid, prodigal and 364 more...
-
magoosh1
aberration, aboveboard, abysmal, ace, affable, aghast, alacrity, ambiguous, ambivalent, ameliorate, amenable, amiable and 215 more...
-
GRE Reference
A list of words unfamiliar to me that I have repeatedly encountered in GRE question sets.
parochial, clique, salacious, aegis, ostracize, conceited, sacrilegious, inane, serendipity, gourmand, polemic, tenuous and 138 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for contentious.
Noelle Knight There was lots of conversation outside the window, most of it contentious. -Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas Dec 10, 2010
maesepedro "Thou think'st 'tis much that this contentious storm invades us to the skin", King Lear (III.iv) Dec 15, 2007