bickering

1 of 2

noun

bick·​er·​ing ˈbi-k(ə-)riŋ 

: petty and petulant quarreling especially when prolonged or habitual

… said his own bosses, through their persistent bickering, had made his job practically impossible.

—Ronald Scott

also, bickerings plural : instances of such quarreling

was tired of listening to their endless bickerings

bickering

2 of 2

adjective

: engaging in or characterized by petty and petulant quarreling

a bickering couple

bickering politicians

Examples of bickering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Call it the Common Sense Party—a combination of non-MAGA Republicans unhappy with the direction of their party, moderate-to-conservative Democrats not overly thrilled with their traditional political home, and unaffiliated voters who have been turned off by all the grandstanding and bickering. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025

Skydance executives and their private equity partners also agitated for Paramount to end the bickering with Trump to resolve a key headache before the new owners take over. —Meg James Los Angeles Times, arkansasonline.com, 3 July 2025

Adjective

For nearly a decade, Johannesburg had been ruled by an unstable coalition of bickering political parties. —Louise Dewast, Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2025

The couple were merely bickering, a source close to the president told CNN affiliate BFM TV. —Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 26 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1811, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bickering

• flickering
• snickering