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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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
  • And this sort of confrontation has become more common in recent years as Beijing has taken a more aggressive stance.
    — Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • By balancing strict fiscal management with an aggressive plan to diversify support and expand with new donors, the organization aims to ensure long-term stability while continuing to deliver high-quality artistic programming to Charlotte.
    — Catherine Muccigrosso July 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • In the meantime, the deadly encounter has reignited a contentious debate about body cameras, one that has long vexed local officials and pitted some of the city’s progressive groups against each other.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • Now its rise is intensifying an already contentious race between the US and China to dominate cutting-edge AI.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Any deal to give Saudi Arabia nuclear technology could prove controversial, both domestically and within the wider Middle East region.
    — Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • Brady’s most recent interactions with the controversial wrestler, 31, have sparked debate online about the former quarterback’s career trajectory.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Definition of controversial
Adjective
  • That militant arm of the Democratic Party kept Black voters from going to the polls, sometimes by violence, The Observer reported.
    — Chase Jordan July 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
  • So far, the Houthis have been unable or unwilling to enforce the blockade that the militant group announced Tuesday.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 July 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 instinct most change-makers follow is to spend their energy converting the hostile 10%.
    — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The three companies intend to develop integrated solutions capable of detecting, tracking and defeating hostile drones operating in maritime environments, where protecting ships and offshore assets presents unique operational challenges.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 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
  • Perelman said people who have weakened immune systems and those with irritable bowel disease may want to talk to their doctors before incorporating the foods into their diet.
    — Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • The symptoms are so delayed that people often blame them on food poisoning, irritable-bowel syndrome, gluten intolerance.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of irritable

Browse Nearby Words

disputations
disputatious
disputatiousness
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All