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
Relevance
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
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Grey-zone tactics refer to a range of aggressive tactics that vary from navy ship patrols to drone flights, but fall short of direct combat.
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That will be decided in the coming hours, as the Heat remains in aggressive pursuit of a trade for Antetokounmpo.
Adjective
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This is not so different from the Founders’ vision of democracy, in which a federal system with independent, coequal branches of government forces collisions of competing interests that can get contentious, even chaotic, before compromises are forged.
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But with the Turnberry Agreement finally finding its footing, a reopening of wounds and a reignition of a contentious trade battle has likely held little appeal for the EU.
Adjective
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The interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon where Israeli forces are battling the militant Hezbollah group.
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Despite an October ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the enclave has seen near-daily Israeli attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Adjective
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New signs are emerging that the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center in the Florida Everglades may soon shut down, despite conflicting messages from state officials in recent weeks.
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The trial was one of the most anticipated in recent years due to Pino’s prominence in South Florida and because the investigation was controversial from the start.
Adjective
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The complaint alleges that school officials at Southern Hills Middle School failed to stop two years of antisemitic harassment against an eighth grader even after investigations concluded the student faced a hostile environment.
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Create an internal incident map and begin tagging hostile actions according to the DISARM taxonomy.
Adjective
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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.
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The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.
Adjective
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Cancer could be affectionate and chatty one moment, and withdrawn and irritable the next, with little to no explanation.
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They can be withdrawn or irritable.
Adjective
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Dealing with stubborn dark spots?
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But when the adults decide to cancel Christmas and the magical star fades away, a stubborn little bird named Pikkuli sets off on a winter adventure with friends to find the Starlight Reindeer and bring back the light.
Cite this Entry
“Quarrelsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrelsome. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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