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
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
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
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On Friday, the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, urged European leaders to stand up to Russian aggression.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
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The second half was a much different story as Punch maintained his confidence and aggression.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Way, meanwhile, enjoys watching Katie’s aggressiveness.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Errington has an endearing likability and a sense of mischief, but more aggressiveness and overconfidence would better suit the character.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Their teenage daughter Josie meets Laura with hostility, while her son Felix remains distant.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
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Less inviting and contemplative than aggressive and giddy, its priority isn’t to ask the audience to step outside their own perspective and examine how their behavior may contribute to similar hostilities.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bessent’s combativeness is, in part, a sign of the times, said David Lublin, chair of the Department of Government at American University’s School of Public Affairs.—
Fatima Hussein,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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For Republicans, the primary has become a struggle over how to keep Texas red, with their party weighing steadiness, combativeness and reinvention in the post-Trump era.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr.
Political,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contentiousness. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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