Etymology
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From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous.
Pronunciation
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Adjective
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contentious (comparative more contentious, superlative most contentious)
- Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport[1]:Ukraine, however, will complain long and hard about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic's shot clearly crossed the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry, only for the officials to remain unmoved.
- Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.
2020, Susanna Clarke, Piranesi, Bloomsbury, page 212:She was not a contentious person as the Other had been; she did not argue and contradict everything I said.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Related terms
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Translations
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marked by controversy
- Bulgarian: спорен (bg) (sporen)
- Catalan: controvertit, contenciós
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 有爭議/有争议 (yǒuzhēngyì)
- Czech: sporný (cs) m
- Dutch: omstreden (nl), aangevochten (nl), controversieel (nl)
- Finnish: kiistanalainen (fi)
- French: controversé (fr)
- Georgian: სადავო (sadavo), საკამათო (saḳamato)
- German: umstritten (de), strittig (de), kontrovers (de)
- Hungarian: vitás (hu), vitatott (hu)
- Irish: conspóideach
- Italian: controverso (it)
- Maori: kūraruraru, ahitere, whakawehewehe
- Norwegian: omstridt / kontroversiell
- Polish: sporny (pl) m, kontrowersyjny (pl)
- Portuguese: controverso (pt) m
- Russian: дискуссионный (ru) (diskussionnyj), спо́рный (ru) (spórnyj)
- Spanish: controvertido (es), polémico (es)
- Swedish: omstridd (sv), omtvistad (sv)
- Turkish: tartışmalı (tr), mücâdeleci, çekişmeli (tr), kavgacı (tr)
- Ukrainian: спі́рний m (spírnyj), дискусі́йний m (dyskusíjnyj)
- Welsh: dadleuol (cy)
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given to struggling
- Bulgarian: свадлив (bg) (svadliv)
- Catalan: contenciós
- Dutch: agressief (nl), strijdlustig (nl), vechtjas (nl), provocateur (nl), ruziemaker (nl)
- Finnish: riitaisa (fi), riidanhaluinen (fi)
- French: belliqueux (fr), agressif (fr), provocateur (fr), combatif (fr), batailleur (fr), bagarreur (fr), chamailleur (fr), querelleur (fr)
- German: streitsüchtig (de), streitbar (de), zänkisch (de), provokativ (de), streitlustig
- Greek:
- Ancient: φιλόνεικος (philóneikos)
- Hungarian: veszekedő (hu), pörlekedő
- Italian: bellicoso (it), aggressivo (it), provocatore (it)
- Latin: contentiōsus
- Polish: kłótliwy (pl), swarliwy
- Portuguese: conflituoso (pt) m
- Russian: вздорный (ru) (vzdornyj), придирчивый (ru) (pridirčivyj), любящий спо́рить (ljubjaščij spóritʹ)
- Spanish: conflictivo (es), pendenciero (es), camorrista, belicoso (es), provocador (es)
- Swedish: bråkig (sv)
- Ukrainian: зади́рливий m (zadýrlyvyj), приче́пливий m (pryčéplyvyj)
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References
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- “contentious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “contentious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.