litigious

adjective

li·​ti·​gious lə-ˈti-jəs 

li-

1

a

: disputatious, contentious

in a litigious mood

b

: prone to engage in lawsuits

an increasingly litigious society

2

: subject to litigation

… was not known to be litigious when purchased …

—James Muirhead

3

: of, relating to, or marked by litigation

a litigious situation

litigiously adverb

litigiousness noun

Examples of litigious in a Sentence

a very litigious group of people

this litigious age in which we live

Recent Examples on the Web

Housing developments increasingly omitted sidewalks, favoring drivers over walkers, and the country grew more litigious, making planners wary of playgrounds, which could attract lawsuits when kids got hurt. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Yet that has never stopped a litigious tycoon — especially these days — from going after a media outlet to make a point or extract some concession. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

But the relationship turned litigious when Wagoner sued her in 1979 for millions in management fees and royalties. — Kristin M. Hall, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

That’s not surprising all things litigious considered – even more so with the amount of time that has passed and people involved who are no longer at Disney. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin litigiosus, from litigium dispute, from litigare

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for litigious

• irreligious
• nonreligious
• interreligious
• prestigious
• prodigious
• religious

Legal Definition

litigious

adjective

li·​ti·​gious li-ˈti-jəs 

1

: prone to engage in lawsuits or legal maneuvers especially to an excessive degree

a litigious pro se prisoner … filed fifty-one cases

—In re Oliver, 682 F.2d 443 (1982)

2

: subject to litigation

acquired only a possible litigious claim

—Wells v. Joseph, 95 So. 2d 843 (1957)

3

: of, relating to, or marked by litigation

litigiously adverb

litigiousness noun