as in quarrel
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
there was a bit of a contretemps over the seating arrangements for the upcoming wedding
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contretemps
Moore’s personal biography – despite these minor contretemps – proved more than compelling enough for Maryland voters.
—
Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 9 Nov. 2022
To outsiders, the summer’s weeks-long contretemps over the prime minister’s after-hours activities might seem like a tempest in a Nordic teapot.
—Michael Hunt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
The Dallas visit avoided the contretemps of the Washington portion of the trip.
—Dallas News, 2 June 2022
The normally dignified sport had a brief contretemps at the time of the opening game this year.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for contretemps
Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 9 Nov. 2022
To outsiders, the summer’s weeks-long contretemps over the prime minister’s after-hours activities might seem like a tempest in a Nordic teapot.
—Michael Hunt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
The Dallas visit avoided the contretemps of the Washington portion of the trip.
—Dallas News, 2 June 2022
The normally dignified sport had a brief contretemps at the time of the opening game this year.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for contretemps
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contretemps
Noun
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Hip-Hop has equally thrived on legendary quarrels and strong relationships.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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However, lovers’ quarrels or difficulty dealing with children (hissy fits or meltdowns) might occur.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In May, Van Hecke was involved in an altercation in training with then-Brighton team-mate Joao Pedro.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Sanchez, 38, was involved in an altercation with the 69-year-old truck driver in the early-morning hours of Saturday, when police said the driver allegedly stabbed Sanchez while defending himself during a fight.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Palladinos departed after Season 6 due to contract disputes with WB, and David Rosenthal stepped in as showrunner and head writer.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
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The dispute occurred during a hearing on a Republican bill to ban public funds for health care for undocumented immigrants.—
Jessie Opoien,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The controversy erupted when her fans, famously known as Swifties, found clues of AI usage in the twelve videos that housed the clues to the final puzzle.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
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After the Bud Light ad campaign ran and online controversy began, Bryan posted on X condemning transphobia.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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An even more crucial disagreement is over the party’s relationship to electoral politics.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Oct. 2025
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Other federal agencies have crafted similarly partisan messages from the typically apolitical civil service amid a legislative standoff largely over disagreements related to health care cuts.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The hilarious sketch saw Thompson, Morgan, Fred Armisen, Michaela Watkins, and Kristen Wiig bicker at the Hot Topics table over a collection of political headlines, with Morgan's Shepherd visibly confused by what the words 'Eeyore' and 'research' meant.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Oct. 2025
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The Hussein family bickers about which MENA ethnicities are better than others.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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McNeill said one argument in favor of the EV sector continuing to grow is the vehicles’ increasing utility far beyond transportation.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
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Here's a look at both arguments.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Congressional Democrats have not sought to change that, at least not in the current spending fight.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The administration has also called out the arrest of Sortor, a 27-year-old conservative influencer, amid protests outside the ICE facility in Portland during what police characterized as a fight.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contretemps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contretemps. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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