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disputatious

adjective

ˌdi-spyə-ˈtā-shəs How to pronounce disputatious (audio)
Definition of disputatiousnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing a disputatious professor who could give you an argument on just about anything

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions dismayed at the prospect of enduring another disputatious meeting of the school board

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disputatious Trump has pioneered a style of communication that exploits our distracted, disputatious age. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 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 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
  1. aggressive
  2. controversial
  3. contentious
  4. militant
  5. polemical
  6. hostile
  7. quarrelsome
  8. irritable
Adjective
  • On one hand, the aggressive expansion of data centers is intensifying competition for finite resources like land and water, putting them in direct conflict with agricultural land use in certain regions.
    — , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Harsh cleaners and aggressive scrubbing can damage these surfaces.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Charlotte is primed to revive the controversial Interstate 77 South toll lane project, but a couple of pivotal swing voters on the City Council remain undecided.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Much like Arya killing the Night King, Bran Stark becoming king of Westeros remains a random and highly controversial choice nearly a decade since the ending of Game of Thrones.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of controversial
Adjective
  • Pitt is 10 years removed from his contentious divorce from Angelina Jolie, who filed for divorce in 2016.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The Tarrant County judge race between incumbent Republican Tim O’Hare and Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons has been contentious.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • There are concerns that the Houthis' advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could have significant ramifications for energy markets and global trade, particularly if the militant group ratchets up threats or attacks on Red Sea shipping.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003, accused of developing and directing the 9/11 attacks, as a leader of the Islamic militant group Al Qaeda.
    — Larry Neumeister, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • Even so, the film’s gaze is more anthropological than polemical, especially given the faux-doc vibe created by its abundant handheld camerawork, seemingly filmed sometimes by the actors themselves.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Now, in the 1500s and 1600s, that phrase was often used by Catholics in their polemical war against Protestants.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Definition of polemical
Adjective
  • Worse, her estranged sister April (Naomi Watts), a drama queen, and hostile mother, Diane (Dianne Wiest), fly in from their Michigan hair salon to add to Sandra’s suffering.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • European authorities have linked Moscow to a rising number of drone incursions, sabotage incidents, cyberattacks, and other hostile acts across the continent in recent months.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Volatile, quarrelsome, dogmatic, and sure of his own brilliance, Reinhold outraged patrons, amassed huge debts, and turned his eldest son into an exhausted workhorse.
    — Jenny Uglow, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • The toys, like the perpetually quarrelsome Woody and Buzz or Jessie the cowgirl, who now takes center stage, have seen their boy and girl owners grow up and leave them behind.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 June 2026
Definition of quarrelsome
Adjective
  • If a relative or housemate seems irritable, ask what’s going on instead of working around the mood.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
  • As the fascination with Ernetti grows into something unhealthy, Béatrice subtly grows more tired, more distracted, more irritable and desperate for answers, small changes Sellier conveys with a smart sense of restraint.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of irritable

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disputations
disputatious
disputatiousness
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Cite this Entry

“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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