altercation

noun

al·​ter·​ca·​tion ˌȯl-tər-ˈkā-shən 

: a noisy, heated, angry dispute

He got into several altercations with his boss.

also : noisy controversy

Synonyms of altercation

• dispute
• quarrel
• controversy
• disagreement
• fight
• brawl
• argument
• bicker
• misunderstanding

Choose the Right Synonym for altercation

quarrel, wrangle, altercation, squabble mean a noisy dispute usually marked by anger.

quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

Examples of altercation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That same year a judge dropped drug and terroristic threat charges against Dykstra after an altercation with an Uber driver. —CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026

Cardi was sued this year by former security guard Emani Ellis, who claimed that Cardi cut her face with her fingernail in an altercation while the rapper was visiting her OB/GYN. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026

The following May, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed in a statement that an investigation into a physical altercation between Ziering and four to five members of a minibike group led to the arrest of suspect Jacob Esteban Hernandez, among others. —Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025

The larger person wearing dark pants and no shirt was in a physical altercation with a smaller person. —Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English altercacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French altercacion, borrowed from Latin altercātiōn-, altercātiō, from altercārī, altercāre "to dispute vehemently, wrangle" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at altercate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for altercation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

altercation

noun

al·​ter·​ca·​tion ˌȯl-tər-ˈkā-shən 

: a noisy or angry dispute