1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a quarrelsome student who was always being sent to the principal's office for starting fights in the halls
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contentious
given to arguing
you're so quarrelsome: you can never do anything without a fuss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quarrelsome
And what’s most important — indeed the principal reason for protecting the existence of a noisy, quarrelsome, factious, muckraking free press in our republic — is accountability.
—
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 23 Dec. 2025
All arms come from coal and steel and integrated industries would stop Europe’s most quarrelsome countries waging war on one another.
—Sara Stridsberg
september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
He’s installed a pair of Brits, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, as the quarrelsome couple, and there are no two finer actors to take on the tangle of insults penned by Tony McNamara, who wrote the screenplay.
—Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
In the clip, 50 leans into his quarrelsome nature by, quite literally, delivering the beef while pulling a variety of items out of his DoorDash delivery bag, some of which seem meant to troll his No. 1 enemy at the moment, currently incarcerated Bad Boy Records founder Diddy.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 23 Dec. 2025
All arms come from coal and steel and integrated industries would stop Europe’s most quarrelsome countries waging war on one another.
—Sara Stridsberg
september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
He’s installed a pair of Brits, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, as the quarrelsome couple, and there are no two finer actors to take on the tangle of insults penned by Tony McNamara, who wrote the screenplay.
—Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
In the clip, 50 leans into his quarrelsome nature by, quite literally, delivering the beef while pulling a variety of items out of his DoorDash delivery bag, some of which seem meant to troll his No. 1 enemy at the moment, currently incarcerated Bad Boy Records founder Diddy.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrelsome
Adjective
-
That was a fun one, with both teams staying aggressive throughout the match.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
-
That more aggressive posture has been exemplified in Lewis George's smaller jousts with the mayor over housing and public safety policies, too.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Republicans decry fraud while Democrats worry about hunger SNAP’s new rules remain contentious in Congress.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
This has proven to be a contentious change for myriad reasons.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Trump’s birthday began with a new round of Israeli military strikes in Beirut, which the country said was in response to projectiles fired by the militant group Hezbollah at Israel.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
Israel’s military said the militant group launched three projectiles, releasing video in which an audible boom was followed by rising smoke.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Among them was a December 2024 lesson about Christmas that featured Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete, a controversial Dutch holiday character known as a helper to Santa Claus who is depicted with exaggerated, racist physical features — including large red lips.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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The Australian social media ban has been controversial, with American tech giants unsurprisingly reacting with alarm.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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But if his intention is a quick rate cut, the new chairman might be entering a hostile work environment.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
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French, American, British and other naval crews already have experience of escorting civilian ships through hostile fire in the region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
In her account, Richmond indeed emerges as its progenitor—through his theorizing, his behind-the-scenes parliamentary and polemical maneuvering, and his patronage of Thomas Paine.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
They can be withdrawn or irritable.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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While Hockney worked, Auden, as the artist recalled, played the part of the impatient, irritable grump.—
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
But La Roja could not find a way past Vozinha and a stubborn defense that had an answer to everything Spain’s superstars threw at them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
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Meanwhile, Hanks invests the vulnerable but stubborn Woody with a delectable senior resilience.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quarrelsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrelsome. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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