contentious

English

WOTD – 6 March 2010

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnʃəs

Adjective

contentious (comparative more contentious, superlative most contentious)

1. 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.

2. 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

• See also Thesaurus:quarrelsome
• See also Thesaurus:combative

Derived terms

• contentiously
• contentiousness
• uncontentious

Related terms

• contend
• contender
• contention

Translations

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)

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)

References

• “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.