Finesentence

Contentious Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

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contentious

con-tentious

🇺🇸 /kənˈtɛnʃəs/ · 🇬🇧 /kəntˈɛnʃəs/

Definitions

Context #1 | Adjective

debate

causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial

Synonyms

argumentative, controversial, disputable.

Examples of usage

  • The issue of climate change is highly contentious among scientists.
  • The contentious debate between the two politicians lasted for hours.
Context #2 | Adjective

dispute

involving a lot of disagreement and arguing

Synonyms

disputatious, quarrelsome.

Examples of usage

  • The contentious relationship between the two neighbors led to multiple disputes.
  • The contentious issue of land ownership resulted in a legal battle.

Translations

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Quick facts about “contentious”

Contentious is a 2-syllable adjective (con-tentious). It is pronounced /kənˈtɛnʃəs/ in American English and /kəntˈɛnʃəs/ in British English. On finesentence.com it has 2 meanings, 5 synonyms, and translations into 21 languages. It ranks #14,452 among the most common English words.

Origin of 'contentious'

The word 'contentious' originated from the Latin word 'contentiosus', which means contentious or quarrelsome. It has been used in the English language since the 15th century. Over the years, 'contentious' has evolved to describe anything that causes or involves disagreement, controversy, or argument. Its usage has been prominent in legal, political, and social contexts.

See also: contented, contenting, contention, contentment, discontent, discontented, discontentedly, discontentment, malcontent.

Rhymes

Contentious rhymes with conscientious, pretentious, unpretentious and tendentious.

See all rhymes →

Word Frequency Rank

At position #14,452, this word is part of sophisticated English vocabulary. It's useful for academic or professional contexts where precise language is needed.