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.
Mars King,
Twin Cities,
4 July 2026
These groups tackle politically contentious issues like immigration, human rights, and the environment.
—
Michael Posner,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Civility research matters for ethics education across every discipline, especially fields such as law or medicine where contentious political and moral disagreements are likely to arise.
—
Deborah Mower,
The Conversation,
2 July 2026
However, the bill was so contentious that in order to squeak it through, legislators stuffed it full of carve-outs and exemptions, allowing cities to delay implementation by passing their own plans to add density.
—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for contentious
Cite this Entry
“Contentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contentious. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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