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

The bickering survivors of the Canterbury, led by reluctant captain Jim Holden (Steven Strait), become an unlikely band of freedom fighters/kingmakers after commandeering a Martian warship and rebranding it as the Rocinante (named after Don Quixote's horse). —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 Dec. 2025

The long, in-depth chats – and bickering – uncover life stories and disappointments, and display the same competitive spirit the duo brings to the card table. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Johnny and Ben are usually depicted as bickering surrogate brothers, the hotheaded youngster and the curmudgeonly elder; Susan is a pragmatic force, with Reed often lost in his own world. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 July 2025

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