as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
his natural tendency towards contentiousness made him a poor choice for a diplomatic post
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Recent Examples of contentiousness
Despite their contentiousness, the candidates agreed on most major policy issues.
—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Then there is the lifelong contentiousness with her mother, Marluce Martins Perry, a talented Brazilian artist who reluctantly traded her gifts and status for matrimony and child-rearing and resented her family in the wake of her decision.
—
A.d. Amorosi,
SPIN,
4 May 2026
The theme of the contentiousness was that the Bengals didn’t have interest in offering any long-term guarantees that were a priority to the 31-year-old.
—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Reinecke attributed some of the contentiousness to a conflict between economic development and historic preservation.
—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Then there is the lifelong contentiousness with her mother, Marluce Martins Perry, a talented Brazilian artist who reluctantly traded her gifts and status for matrimony and child-rearing and resented her family in the wake of her decision.
—
A.d. Amorosi,
SPIN,
4 May 2026
The theme of the contentiousness was that the Bengals didn’t have interest in offering any long-term guarantees that were a priority to the 31-year-old.
—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Reinecke attributed some of the contentiousness to a conflict between economic development and historic preservation.
—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contentiousness
Noun
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Ukraine has every right to attack Russia’s military infrastructure that sustains its aggression.
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Issues could include insomnia, aggression, difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to psychotropic medication and exacerbation of existing mental illness -- like anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
Noun
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Dillon Thieneman’s speed Since draft night in April, Thieneman has been lauded for his combination of speed, instincts and aggressiveness.
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This is a lineup structured to thrive with a small-ball approach — high batting average, chaos and aggressiveness on the basepaths, and manufacturing runs.
Noun
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Engelbert has consistently mismanaged the overt physical hostility directed at the league's biggest star.
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Today, however, some experts suggest that explicit displays of racial hostility have become more visible in public spaces.
Noun
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But there is a far more important influence Dobeš can have on this series than his combativeness, and that is his puckhandling.
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As a student at Dartmouth College, Dhillon doubled down on her political beliefs with a combativeness that foreshadowed her later commitment to MAGA.
Cite this Entry
“Contentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contentiousness. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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