ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsCcontentious
ISEE/SSAThard
contentious
Meaning: inclined to argue or provoke disagreement
contentious in a sentence
How contentious is used in real sentences:
The contentious senator challenged nearly every statement made during the hearing.
The contentious witness disputed even the simplest questions from the attorney.
“At the winter council, she broached the delicate issue of moving the aqueduct beyond the walls, provoking contentious aldermen who treated every interruption as an insult.”
— from the passage The Northern Channel
Synonyms for contentious
Other words for contentious — argumentative, quarrelsome and combative — carry the same meaning.
- argumentative
- quarrelsome
- combative
Antonyms of contentious
Words that mean the opposite of contentious:
- agreeable
- cooperative
- peaceable
Where it comes from
From Latin contentiosus, meaning 'quarrelsome.'
Memory hook
CONTENTIOUS contains CONTEND: contentious people are always ready to contend.
Practice contentious in the app