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 contentious
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 controversial
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. contentious
  3. controversial
  4. militant
  5. polemical
  6. hostile
  7. quarrelsome
  8. irritable
Adjective
  • In many cars, an aggressive recuperation pitches the passengers and driver forward.
    — Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jason Semore’s defenses, with his aggressive 4-2-5 scheme, typically rack up interceptions.
    — Fisher Isbell, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Stassi Anastassov, former Duracell CEO, has taken the helm at Ferretti Group following a contentious boardroom battle, despite his lack of prior yachting experience.
    — Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • At a contentious Senate hearing in July 2021, Paul repeatedly clashed with Fauci and accused him of lying about the government funding research in Wuhan.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Hilton, born Mario Lavandeira, gained fame after launching his highly popular gossip website in the early Aughts and garnered notoriety for his unapologetic and often controversial take on celebrities’ lives.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Italy has also pointed to Ceuta to push forward a controversial plan, forged in Italy's partnership with Albania, to move migrant screenings outside of the EU.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of controversial
Adjective
  • Abductions at schools are common in Nigeria, where militant groups target them to put pressure on the government and extract ransoms.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The agreement, part of a broader ceasefire deal reached last year, calls for Israel to cease its military operations and for Hamas and its allies in Gaza to halt all militant activity.
    — Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • 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
  • Tarring someone with the pedant brush is polemical, of course.
    — Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books, 27 June 2026
Definition of polemical
Adjective
  • The board of Scripps rejected Sinclair’s hostile bid in December.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The documentary depicts a scenario involving a large hostile surface vessel formation approaching southeast of China.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 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
  • Whether a balanced market can be achieved with competing cartels will be an interesting experiment in a sometimes-irritable trade relationship.
    — Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Just as Depp made to exit the stage, a haunting voice came over the speaker, eerily repeating the irritable man’s name.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of irritable

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disputatious
disputatiousness
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Cite this Entry

“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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