1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a long history of little wars waged by the disputatious countries occupying that European peninsula
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing
a disputatious professor who could give you an argument on just about anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
dismayed at the prospect of enduring another disputatious meeting of the school board
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disputatious
The film shows the occasionally disputatious relationship between Marvin and her grandparents, who raised her.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025
Hoback followed Back to a Bitcoin conference in Riga, Latvia, where Back introduced him to one of his younger protégés, a prominent if disputatious Bitcoin developer named Peter Todd.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024
This disputatious sociopolitical drama is cunningly packaged as a romantic comedy.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Still, even by these disputatious standards, the arguments that have been carrying on around Amherst Regional Middle School, or ARMS, have been vociferous.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
The 1990s were especially disputatious; civil wars arose on multiple continents, as did major wars in Europe and Africa.
—Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
Hans Küng, a Roman Catholic theologian and priest whose brilliantly disputatious, lucidly expressed thoughts in more than 50 books and countless speeches advanced ecumenism and provoked the Vatican to censure him, died on Tuesday at his home in Tübingen, Germany.
—New York Times, 6 Apr. 2021
Mercurial, determined, needy, disputatious—the moods more so than seasons of Acker’s life were rapid, and any biography is bound to contradict and complement and hone the myths that continue to attract us to her writing and her symbol.
—Liz Sullivan, Hazlitt, 5 Dec. 2022
Today’s disputatious conservatives are leading our latest effort to conjoin individual freedom and collective purpose.
—Christopher Demuth, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2022
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025
Hoback followed Back to a Bitcoin conference in Riga, Latvia, where Back introduced him to one of his younger protégés, a prominent if disputatious Bitcoin developer named Peter Todd.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024
This disputatious sociopolitical drama is cunningly packaged as a romantic comedy.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Still, even by these disputatious standards, the arguments that have been carrying on around Amherst Regional Middle School, or ARMS, have been vociferous.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
The 1990s were especially disputatious; civil wars arose on multiple continents, as did major wars in Europe and Africa.
—Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
Hans Küng, a Roman Catholic theologian and priest whose brilliantly disputatious, lucidly expressed thoughts in more than 50 books and countless speeches advanced ecumenism and provoked the Vatican to censure him, died on Tuesday at his home in Tübingen, Germany.
—New York Times, 6 Apr. 2021
Mercurial, determined, needy, disputatious—the moods more so than seasons of Acker’s life were rapid, and any biography is bound to contradict and complement and hone the myths that continue to attract us to her writing and her symbol.
—Liz Sullivan, Hazlitt, 5 Dec. 2022
Today’s disputatious conservatives are leading our latest effort to conjoin individual freedom and collective purpose.
—Christopher Demuth, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputatious
Adjective
-
The frantic, aggressive push to fire workers and gut spending has already upended dozens of lives across the Kansas City region, leaving disoriented ex-employees to try to pick up the pieces.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The press by Starmer and Macron this week reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump's aggressive push to find an end to the war signals his willingness to concede too much to Russian President Vladimir Putin.—
JILL LAWLESS AND AAMER MADHANI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Germany's conservatives are projected to win the national election on Sunday while the controversial far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party records its best-ever results in an election, exit polls showed.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Offensive posts by Gascón from 2020 and 2021 surfaced online last month, many of which included controversial comments about the killing of George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
There were several contentious incidents in this rather odd and chaotic match that had appeared as good as over with around 20 minutes left, before several late twists.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The intense lead-up to Crowley’s firing In the months that led up to Crowley’s removal, Bass and the city’s fire department had been engaged in a contentious back-and-forth about their immediate response to the Palisades fire.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Hamas, which has fought Israeli troops for more than a year in its Gaza stronghold since attacking communities in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, said sending tanks showed the threats faced by Israeli troops from militant fighters in the camps.—
Raneen Sawafta and James Mackenzie,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Hezbollah has been left badly depleted by Israeli attacks and the mass event was intended as a show of strength for the militant and political group.—
CNN Staff,
CNN,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In a notable thawing of tensions between Russia and the U.S., Trump even promised to visit Moscow, and said Putin would be welcome in Washington, D.C. The president has also become increasingly hostile toward Ukraine.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
-
China’s relentless nuclear buildup, its hostile espionage operations, its militant rhetoric, and, above all, its support for Russia suggest that Xi has already made his call and that a confrontation with the United States is inevitable.—
Sergey Radchenko,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love.—
Gulnaz Khan,
AFAR Media,
13 Feb. 2025
-
In the previous three years alone, the police had responded to a dozen incidents featuring the quarrelsome man.—
Photographs Todd Heisler,
New York Times,
19 May 2024
Adjective
-
Cold exposure is particularly helpful for those who have irritable skin through the constriction of blood vessels, alleviating swelling and flushes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The elderly single mom, played with an irritable, bone-deep bitterness by Irish actor Fiona Shaw, has spent the past few years paralyzed by an illness no one can diagnose.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Fiscal and monetary policy are walking a tightrope between weak real growth and stubborn inflation.—
William Pesek,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Still facing a stubborn staffing crunch, the New York City Department of Correction will require officers to work mandatory 12-hour tours in a number of city jails, a move immediately criticized by their union.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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