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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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. controversial
  3. contentious
  4. militant
  5. polemical
  6. hostile
  7. quarrelsome
  8. irritable
Adjective
  • Environmentalists flex considerable muscle in the state and found an ally in Newsom, though the outgoing governor’s aggressive climate agenda ran into affordability and federal challenges in recent years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • And definitely the lyrics are a lot more aggressive from Roger.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Labrador, a controversial figure, outraised Hickman by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Idaho Secretary of State Office’s website.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Nov. 2026
  • California voters decided on 14 measures on their ballot, ranging from the controversial — like the billionaire’s tax and tighter deadlines on environmental permitting — to the unchallenged — like the housing affordability bond.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of controversial
Adjective
  • Skip to Main Content Concert Review The first of a historic five-night run at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was contentious and confounding.
    — DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The Ravens, meanwhile, are 4-4 and sit at the bottom of a contentious AFC North.
    — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Tensions between Israel and militant group Hezbollah ratcheted up in 2023 when the latter intensified attacks along Israel’s northern border in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks on the south of the country.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups regularly target anti-polio drives and police protecting health workers, falsely claiming that polio vaccination campaigns are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • Speaking a few weeks after the launch of Tom Cruise-starring satirical polemic Digger, Wishart feels docs and features about this subject matter have become overly preachy.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The title that evokes Ernest Hemingway points at the polemical nature of some of the essays in the book.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of polemical
Adjective
  • The Navy's Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, known as SWCCs, are elite maritime operators training to operate high-speed, heavily armed boats that transport Navy SEALs into and out of hostile territory, along with other maritime missions.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Even as crime drops and car crashes recede, New York’s streets and parks have grown increasingly hostile to those who are frail, slow, disabled, or small.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Nov. 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
  • Murray says her own experience has made her more understanding when female colleagues seem more tired or irritable than usual, particularly when the behavior is out of character.
    — Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Could be because for much of the running time, Abrams’ Jay Gardiner is up against what looks like a very large irritable sphincter.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritable

Browse Nearby Words

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 8 Nov. 2026.

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