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
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
Its lament resonates for art once seen as a disputatious civic forum, now overrun by the hard coin of investment markets.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2021
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
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
Its lament resonates for art once seen as a disputatious civic forum, now overrun by the hard coin of investment markets.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputatious
Adjective
-
Being too aggressive with your use of ice can damage your skin.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
22 July 2025
-
Chantel’s aggressive, no-nonsense delivery clashed with Jackie’s passive-deflective tone, turning what could’ve been a breakthrough into yet another blow-up.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond his work on the sitcom, Hip has been a regular in films by the controversial director Abel Ferrara, including China Girl (1987), Bad Lieutenant (1992), and The Funeral (1996).—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
30 July 2025
-
The death was ruled a suicide, a controversial ruling that has become conspiracy fodder and the subject of intense scrutiny.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Although sometimes contentious, his most recent appearance lacked the acrimony from lawmakers who had accused the director and the lottery's oversight board of misleading the Legislature about the courier companies.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
After the initially contentious plan in 1994 to establish a citywide youth curfew, part of the plan involved extending hours at recreation centers in Evanston and Price Hill.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group's soldiers launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Trump has been uniquely willing to break with Israel on many issues—for instance, by making deals with the Houthi militant group in Yemen and opening a diplomatic dialogue with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, despite his past alignment with al-Qaeda.—
ZAHA HASSAN,
Foreign Affairs,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Five days later, on July 8, an attorney for the city manager submitted a letter of potential claim against the city citing defamation, harassment and creation of a hostile work environment.—
Anita Edmondson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 July 2025
-
In early October 2022, the ruling said, McCarty filed a hostile work environment complaint with the police department.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
The magisterium seems intact, even among the often quarrelsome American branch.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
9 May 2025
-
Wolf-dogs are quarrelsome, but not a great deal more so than normal sled dogs.—
Ted Updike,
Outdoor Life,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend.—
Robin George Andrews,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
-
Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Beneath its surface were deep, dark scars—grooves cut through the rock by old lava flows, now overgrown with stubborn green.—
Tess Moormans,
Travel + Leisure,
27 July 2025
-
The fizzing reaction can help remove stubborn residues.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
27 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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