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
  • The aggressive action will be closely watched by other states and school systems.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Tour participants described an aggressive interrogation by an Israeli border agent.
    — Daniel Estrin, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Decades later, buses helped desegregate schools, hauling Black and white children across the country’s racial divide, a controversial practice that has mostly ended.
    — Jeff McMurray, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Based on true events, Jacob Tremblay plays the 16-year-old Harvard prodigy who is subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe) and his eventual transformation into the Unabomber.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of controversial
Adjective
  • Several cities across the nation are locked in a contentious debate over Flock cameras, but in Erlanger, that decision has been made.
    — Brooklyn Andres, Fox 19 Cincinnati, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The latest version of the polling place plan follows a contentious August meeting about a proposal to reduce the number of Election Day voting locations for the November midterm from 316 in 2022 to 176 in 2026.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Abductions are common in Nigeria, where militant groups target schoolchildren and other civilians to put pressure on the government and extract ransoms.
    — Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The strikes came after Israel blamed the militant Hezbollah group for firing two explosive drones.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 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
  • Kuwait's army said its air defence systems were targeting hostile missile and drone attacks.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Some recent laws, including the Safer Skies Act of 2025, grant state and local agencies (though not private-sector entities) greater license to detect and track hostile drones.
    — Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 3 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
  • The product immediately calmed down my irritable, rosacea-prone skin while delivering intense hydration that lasted all day.
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 31 Aug. 2026
  • How skipping breakfast affects kids at school Nemours KidsHealth reports that kids who miss the morning meal often feel tired, restless or irritable by midmorning.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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