litigious

adjective

li·​ti·​gious lə-ˈti-jəs 

li-

1

a

: disputatious, contentious

in a litigious mood

b

: prone to engage in lawsuits

an increasingly litigious society

2

: subject to litigation

not known to be litigious when purchased

—James Muirhead

3

: of, relating to, or marked by litigation

a litigious situation

litigiously adverb

litigiousness noun

Examples of litigious in a Sentence

a very litigious group of people

this litigious age in which we live

Recent Examples on the Web

Would the burgeoning political career of the Central Park 5’s Yusef Salaam — one that mirrors Trump’s in its celebration of redemption — come to a halt at the litigious hands of Counselor Cohn? —Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025

Trump’s upcoming term could very well be just as litigious for California as the president-elect’s first four years in office. —William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 6 Jan. 2025

Philipp Plein has become the latest global brand to fall under the litigious scrutiny of Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.). —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025

And back then, artists and record labels didn’t know enough to get litigious about publishing rights for sampled music. —Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin litigiosus, from litigium dispute, from litigare

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Legal Definition

litigious

adjective

li·​ti·​gious li-ˈti-jəs 

1

: prone to engage in lawsuits or legal maneuvers especially to an excessive degree

a litigious pro se prisoner … filed fifty-one cases

—In re Oliver, 682 F.2d 443 (1982)

2

: subject to litigation

acquired only a possible litigious claim

—Wells v. Joseph, 95 So. 2d 843 (1957)

3

: of, relating to, or marked by litigation

litigiously adverb

litigiousness noun