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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disputatious
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
What could unite this bustling, disputatious new country?
—John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
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
New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
What could unite this bustling, disputatious new country?
—John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
-
Orbán's nationalist party has become a model for MAGA populists, particularly for its aggressive stance on immigration.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Florian Wirtz was over aggressive in his initial press and then lacked urgency to help balance out City’s right-side overload, while neither Curtis Jones or Ryan Gravenberch drifted across.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
County commissioners passed a resolution in support of ICE during a contentious meeting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Israel’s deadly offensive against Hezbollah has been a contentious point in the uneasy Iran war ceasefire.—
Jennifer Hansler,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The question is not merely about one individual, but about the permeability of global networks — how figures with deeply rooted ties to foreign governments and controversial pasts can reemerge in influential cultural and political spaces.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
How Polymarket is addressing controversial bets Founded in 2020, Polymarket is among a cadre of prediction markets, serving as a popular tool to crowdsource real-time data and public opinion.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the response to Alcock in many online corners has been as if the actress went on a militant feminist rant slamming all male fans and threw a massive pity party for herself.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But the regime shows no sign of unraveling, and the people who have replaced senior leaders are known as equally hard-line or arguably even more militant than their predecessors, according to Western officials and experts on Iran.—
Abigail Williams,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Colleges and universities nationwide continue to grapple with polemic issues associated with the fair treatment of individuals of differing backgrounds, political persuasions, and sexuality.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Callers told police that after a brief and seemingly hostile interaction with the occupants of the vehicle, the individual left school property and was last seen walking onto Ryan Lane from Edwards Avenue.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
From a technical standpoint, the stock appears to be stabilizing at support just as the macro backdrop becomes less hostile to large-cap technology.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As recently as 2022, Pahlavi was trying to work within the often quarrelsome sphere of Iranian diaspora politics.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The only thing that puts wind in The Disappear’s heavy sails is the real people attempting to give some sense of depth, breadth, and humor to the near-caricatures on stage — especially the play’s quarrelsome leads.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps through feeling more irritable, more anxious, or wanting to isolate.—
Joy Harden Bradford,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Had my symptoms maybe been put down to irritable bowel, for example, that could’ve been ongoing and ongoing and ongoing for a much longer period of time.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disputatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputatious. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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