Contentious
//kənˈtɛn.ʃəs// adj
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
"Ukraine, however, will complain long and hard about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic's shot clearly crossed the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry, only for the officials to remain unmoved."
- 2 Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.
"She was not a contentious person as the Other had been; she did not argue and contradict everything I said."
Adjective
- 1 involving or likely to cause controversy wordnet
- 2 inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits wordnet
Example
More examples"Discussions about religion are very often contentious."
Etymology
From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous.
More for "contentious"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.