as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
his natural tendency towards contentiousness made him a poor choice for a diplomatic post
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Recent Examples of contentiousness
Then there is the lifelong contentiousness with her mother, Marluce Martins Perry, a talented Brazilian artist who reluctantly traded her gifts and status for matrimony and child-rearing and resented her family in the wake of her decision.
—
A.d. Amorosi, SPIN, 4 May 2026
The theme of the contentiousness was that the Bengals didn’t have interest in offering any long-term guarantees that were a priority to the 31-year-old.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Reinecke attributed some of the contentiousness to a conflict between economic development and historic preservation.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
A.d. Amorosi, SPIN, 4 May 2026
The theme of the contentiousness was that the Bengals didn’t have interest in offering any long-term guarantees that were a priority to the 31-year-old.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Reinecke attributed some of the contentiousness to a conflict between economic development and historic preservation.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contentiousness
Noun
-
Hegseth, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s premier forum for defense leaders, militaries and diplomats, said a stronger, more self-reliant network of allies is essential to deter aggression and preserve the balance of power.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
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Fudd started the second half with the Wings’ first bucket, her second 3-pointer of the game, and kept the aggression going, finishing the game with 9-of-15 shooting with three rebounds and two assists.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Cole took advantage of the Rays’ aggressiveness, ramping up his off-speed usage the second time through the order.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
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While an immediate trade is unlikely, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has shown early aggressiveness before.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Ashley Pruitt is one of 13 service members killed in action since hostilities with Iran began in late February.—
Tara Copp The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2026
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In other words, moments of warmth, humor, validation or affection need to outnumber moments of hostility or annoyance.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
But there is a far more important influence Dobeš can have on this series than his combativeness, and that is his puckhandling.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
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As a student at Dartmouth College, Dhillon doubled down on her political beliefs with a combativeness that foreshadowed her later commitment to MAGA.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contentiousness. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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