1
as in controversial
given to arguing
he's too argumentative to be part of a project in which teamwork is critical
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
an argumentative gang of bullies always looking for a fight
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3
as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
a topic that sparked more than a few argumentative conversations around the watercooler
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of argumentative
While there’s an occasional corny line here, Hanna and Sander wisely keep dialogue on the humorous and/or argumentative side — after all, these are figures who’ve learned the hard way not to admit emotional vulnerability.
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Dennis Harvey, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Venezuela’s ordeal reverberates in the author’s argumentative family: its members’ painful dependencies, moral shortcomings, and monetary mismanagement reflect their country’s breakdowns.
—Paula Ramón, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
As the scene progresses and gets more dynamically argumentative, the characters move into and through the lighting.
—Scott Huver, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023
At one point, Judge Michael Gaffey told Chaudhry not to be argumentative when Chaudhry asked Jabbari if the club was loud.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for argumentative 
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Venezuela’s ordeal reverberates in the author’s argumentative family: its members’ painful dependencies, moral shortcomings, and monetary mismanagement reflect their country’s breakdowns.
—Paula Ramón, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
As the scene progresses and gets more dynamically argumentative, the characters move into and through the lighting.
—Scott Huver, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023
At one point, Judge Michael Gaffey told Chaudhry not to be argumentative when Chaudhry asked Jabbari if the club was loud.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for argumentative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for argumentative
Adjective
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The live conversation centered on Osbourne's friendship with controversial TV host Piers Morgan, who was making headlines at the time for his controversial comments about Duchess Meghan.Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
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These controversial businesses essentially control what Americans pay for their prescriptions.Maria Aspan, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The New Interest Rate Environment After a period of aggressive rate hikes to combat inflation, central banks are now easing their approach.Gianluca Sidoti, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
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The tight track works perfectly for the Busch Clash, which is known for aggressive racing.David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Growing up, millennials experienced contentious 2000 and 2008 U.S. presidential elections, the events of September 11, 2001, a war on terror that cost trillions and lasted two decades, and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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What’s more, the dynamics for Big Media and Big Tech are complicated by the fact that Trump has had a contentious relationship with major players in both sectors.Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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However, the militant group cautioned that hurdles remain.Sophie Tanno, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
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Iran continues to play a key role in regional conflicts, supporting militant groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, further complicating its diplomatic relations.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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When pluralism implies of ideas, of ideologies, of parties, sometimes inimical to each other, sometimes polemical, sometimes in the attempt to make compromises in order to rule a country.Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2016
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The motion picture industry first moved aggressively into polemical territory during the prewar interregnum from 1939 to 1941, when Europe was at war but America wasn’t.Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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According to the complaint, several parties had to partake in an all-hands-on-deck meeting to address Lively’s claims of a hostile work environment.Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
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But the country’s new leaders will also have to look outward, balancing the tangled, sometimes contradictory interests of many foreign powers — some friendly, some hostile, some wary.Josh Holder, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Fed’s preferred inflation measure — the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — is due Friday and could similarly show stubborn price pressures.Bryan Mena, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
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However, Kamil Kovar, senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, argued in a note that stubborn core inflation would continue to spur ECB caution next year.Jenni Reid, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Every child is different, but these nine common signs could mean your child is craving more of your time and focus: Yelling Children who need more attention often become loud and irritable.Wendy Wisner, Parents, 9 Dec. 2024
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This includes going from feeling very happy, irritable, with a marked increase in activity level (mania), to feeling sad, indifferent, or hopeless with very low activity levels (depression).New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Argumentative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/argumentative. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
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