argumentative

adjective

ar·​gu·​men·​ta·​tive ˌär-gyə-ˈmen-tə-tiv How to pronounce argumentative (audio)
variants or less commonly argumentive
1
: given to argument : tending to argue : having or showing a tendency to disagree or argue with other people in an angry way : disputatious
He became argumentative when confronted with the allegation.
an argumentative temperament
… had been a pigheaded, argumentative, irascible, and unlikable man …Colleen McCullough
2
: consisting of or characterized by argument
argumentative discourse
aired their opinions in an argumentative way
argumentatively adverb

Examples of argumentative in a Sentence

He became more argumentative during the debate. he's too argumentative to be part of a project in which teamwork is critical
Recent Examples on the Web Venezuela’s ordeal reverberates in the author’s argumentative family: its members’ painful dependencies, moral shortcomings, and monetary mismanagement reflect their country’s breakdowns. Paula Ramón, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 As the scene progresses and gets more dynamically argumentative, the characters move into and through the lighting. Scott Huver, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023 At one point, Judge Michael Gaffey told Chaudhry not to be argumentative when Chaudhry asked Jabbari if the club was loud. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2023 Despite that reality, during the strike, the auto industry’s response was an uninspiring combination of offense (attacking UAW leader Shawn Fain for challenging the unwritten labor rules) and argumentative defense. Adam Hanft, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023 Italians can be very argumentative in the morning without coffee. Jackie Cooperman, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2023 An arriving officer located the intoxicated and argumentative Parma Heights resident in question, who was arrested for disorderly conduct. John Benson, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2023 Henry had tired of his bold, argumentative wife, who, like Catherine, had been unable to bear a male child. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 June 2023 Teacher Mary Wood had planned to teach her class the book as part of the class’s preparation for the argumentative essay portion of the A.P. test. Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 13 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'argumentative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see argue

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of argumentative was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near argumentative

Cite this Entry

“Argumentative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/argumentative. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

argumentative

adjective
ar·​gu·​men·​ta·​tive ˌär-gyə-ˈment-ət-iv How to pronounce argumentative (audio)
: marked by or given to argument : quarrelsome
argumentatively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on argumentative

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