1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a long history of little wars waged by the disputatious countries occupying that European peninsula
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contentious
given to arguing
a disputatious professor who could give you an argument on just about anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in controversial
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
dismayed at the prospect of enduring another disputatious meeting of the school board
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disputatious
Its titular Pebble and Clod might remind you of characters in a picture book or a TV show — disputatious friends like Frog and Toad or Ernie and Bert.
—
New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
What could unite this bustling, disputatious new country?
—John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
In other words, students prepare for citizenship in a disputatious society by practicing the civic arts—by asserting and advocating for their views—not by meekly absorbing lessons from their instructors.
—Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
The potential for sharp, disputatious cultural criticism has arguably slackened.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
The film shows the occasionally disputatious relationship between Marvin and her grandparents, who raised her.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025
Hoback followed Back to a Bitcoin conference in Riga, Latvia, where Back introduced him to one of his younger protégés, a prominent if disputatious Bitcoin developer named Peter Todd.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024
This disputatious sociopolitical drama is cunningly packaged as a romantic comedy.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
What could unite this bustling, disputatious new country?
—John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
In other words, students prepare for citizenship in a disputatious society by practicing the civic arts—by asserting and advocating for their views—not by meekly absorbing lessons from their instructors.
—Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
The potential for sharp, disputatious cultural criticism has arguably slackened.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
The film shows the occasionally disputatious relationship between Marvin and her grandparents, who raised her.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025
Hoback followed Back to a Bitcoin conference in Riga, Latvia, where Back introduced him to one of his younger protégés, a prominent if disputatious Bitcoin developer named Peter Todd.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024
This disputatious sociopolitical drama is cunningly packaged as a romantic comedy.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputatious
Adjective
-
That was a fun one, with both teams staying aggressive throughout the match.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
-
The bounce off of Kamada may have been lucky, but Japan created its own luck with an aggressive second-half attack after Crysencio Summerville’s goal in the 64th minute put it in a deficit.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Striking a balance between releasing children to vetted sponsors and shielding them from danger has proved a contentious partisan disagreement.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Striking a balance to release children to vetted sponsors and shielding them from danger has proved a contentious partisan disagreement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Among them was a December 2024 lesson about Christmas that featured Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete, a controversial Dutch holiday character known as a helper to Santa Claus who is depicted with exaggerated, racist physical features — including large red lips.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
The Australian social media ban has been controversial, with American tech giants unsurprisingly reacting with alarm.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Israeli military struck targets in Beirut's suburbs on Sunday after the militant group Hezbollah launched projectiles toward Israel, Reuters reported.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents remain displaced amid devastation and severe shortages, as new Israeli strikes on crowded areas kill children and other civilians Israel labels militant targets.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
In his discussion of history, America’s War on Terror, and creative resistance, Zinn’s essays are plain spoken but polemical, challenging us to not limit ourselves and never accept the story we’re offered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Dec. 2025
-
In the end, Larsen and Letteney make their polemical point unambiguously plain.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Will he ever be held accountable for his hostile behavior?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2026
-
While some states would be hostile to public university athletes attempts to gain employment recognition, others might be more welcoming.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
The only thing that puts wind in The Disappear’s heavy sails is the real people attempting to give some sense of depth, breadth, and humor to the near-caricatures on stage — especially the play’s quarrelsome leads.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
19 Jan. 2026
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And what’s most important — indeed the principal reason for protecting the existence of a noisy, quarrelsome, factious, muckraking free press in our republic — is accountability.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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But Maguire, now 43, became sad and irritable, and didn’t want to be around his newborn.—
Keith Wagstaff,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Additionally, Owens' youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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