quarrelsome

adjective

ˈkwȯr(-ə)l-səm How to pronounce quarrelsome (audio)
Definition of quarrelsomenext
1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight a quarrelsome student who was always being sent to the principal's office for starting fights in the halls

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contentious
given to arguing you're so quarrelsome: you can never do anything without a fuss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word quarrelsome distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of quarrelsome are bellicose, belligerent, contentious, and pugnacious. While all these words mean "having an aggressive or fighting attitude," quarrelsome stresses an ill-natured readiness to fight without good cause.

the heat made us all quarrelsome

When might bellicose be a better fit than quarrelsome?

The words bellicose and quarrelsome can be used in similar contexts, but bellicose suggests a disposition to fight.

a drunk in a bellicose mood

In what contexts can belligerent take the place of quarrelsome?

Although the words belligerent and quarrelsome have much in common, belligerent often implies being actually at war or engaged in hostilities.

belligerent nations

When is it sensible to use contentious instead of quarrelsome?

While the synonyms contentious and quarrelsome are close in meaning, contentious implies perverse and irritating fondness for arguing and quarreling.

wearied by his contentious disposition

When can pugnacious be used instead of quarrelsome?

In some situations, the words pugnacious and quarrelsome are roughly equivalent. However, pugnacious suggests a disposition that takes pleasure in personal combat.

a pugnacious gangster

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of quarrelsome How did Marlowe find the space in his head, let alone in his days and nights, to compose his quarrelsome works, aiming them so squarely at the heavens and the gut? —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025 He’s installed a pair of Brits, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, as the quarrelsome couple, and there are no two finer actors to take on the tangle of insults penned by Tony McNamara, who wrote the screenplay. —Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025 Wolf-dogs are quarrelsome, but not a great deal more so than normal sled dogs. —Ted Updike, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2025 And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors? —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrelsome
  1. aggressive
  2. contentious
  3. militant
  4. controversial
  5. hostile
  6. polemical
  7. irritable
  8. stubborn
Adjective
  • In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Wiener helped push two new California laws last year — the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act — in the wake of intense and aggressive immigration enforcement by masked ICE and other federal agents in California and around the country.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • His margin of victory was 481 votes, and he was declared the winner several weeks after the election following a contentious recount.
    — Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
  • The Clippers also traded Chris Paul, who hadn’t been with the team since November after his return turned contentious amid the early struggles.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Although Pakistan's capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Although Pakistan’s capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence.
    — Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • For instance, one very controversial current issue is whether women can keep their original names, the names they’re born with, after getting married.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Another theory posited that the 64 was a reference to the initial government death toll for 2017's Hurricane Maria, a controversial claim that was eventually corrected to 1,427.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of controversial
Adjective
  • The hostile bid came as Nexstar Media Group agreed to acquire Tegna, in a $6 billion transaction that would run afoul of the FCC’s 39% ownership cap; Nexstar has filed for a waiver to the ownership cap.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer’s celebration of Hispanic culture could hardly have arrived at a more hostile moment for Latinos.
    — Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Colleges and universities nationwide continue to grapple with polemic issues associated with the fair treatment of individuals of differing backgrounds, political persuasions, and sexuality.
    — Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
  • This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
Definition of polemical
Adjective
  • Lack of sleep can lead to a range of problems, including feeling more irritable.
    — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
  • On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • If that doesn’t solve the problem, try scrubbing stubborn spots with Bar Keeper’s Friend and a nonabrasive sponge.
    — Jessica Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Rusk recommends using wash and styling products that don’t contain silicones (like dimethicone), which can cause a stubborn coating to accumulate that clogs follicles on the scalp and prevents the hair from absorbing moisturizing ingredients.
    — Rebecca Strong, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of stubborn

Browse Nearby Words

quarrels
quarrelsome
quarrelsomeness
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Cite this Entry

“Quarrelsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrelsome. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of quarrelsome for Spanish Speakers

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