disputatious

adjective

dis·pu·ta·tious ˌdi-spyə-ˈtā-shəs

Synonyms of disputatious

: inclined to dispute

: marked by disputation

: provoking debate : controversial

disputatiously adverb

disputatiousness noun

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The History of Disputatious Isn't Controversial

Quarrelsome, contentious, polemical—the English language sure loves a multisyllabic word to describe your tetchier types, and who are we to argue? Disputatious is another lengthy adjective applied to people who like to start arguments or find something to disagree about, and it can be used to characterize situations and issues as well. For example, court trials are disputatious; that is, they are marked by the action of disputing. And an issue or matter is disputatious if it provokes controversy. However, if a matter, such as an assertion made by someone, is open to question rather than downright controversial, it’s merely disputable. In any case, there’s no arguing that disputatious, dispute, and disputable have diverged somewhat in meaning from their Latin source: the verb disputare means simply "to discuss."

Examples of disputatious in a Sentence

a long history of little wars waged by the disputatious countries occupying that European peninsula a disputatious professor who could give you an argument on just about anything

Recent Examples on the Web

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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