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
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 quarrelsome
Not even Caplan, whose one-note portrayal of a quarrelsome congresswoman is enough to make one yearn for the subtleties and emotional shadings of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
—
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love.
—Gulnaz Khan, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025
In the previous three years alone, the police had responded to a dozen incidents featuring the quarrelsome man.
—Photographs Todd Heisler, New York Times, 19 May 2024
The romantic pentagon’s members are quarrelsome, foolish, and discombobulated by the passage of time—characters often describe themselves as being a bore or a burden, or as having missed their moment.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love.
—Gulnaz Khan, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025
In the previous three years alone, the police had responded to a dozen incidents featuring the quarrelsome man.
—Photographs Todd Heisler, New York Times, 19 May 2024
The romantic pentagon’s members are quarrelsome, foolish, and discombobulated by the passage of time—characters often describe themselves as being a bore or a burden, or as having missed their moment.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrelsome
Adjective
-
Mid-summer changes to United’s revolving credit facility indicated a switch in strategy, and there was a more aggressive approach in the market following a summit in Iceland between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The occurrences grew more aggressive over time, with the Smurls' 75-pound German shepherd getting slammed into a wall and Jack getting attacked while praying.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Real World alum and life coach Kelley Wolf plans to attend a treatment center amid her contentious divorce from her estranged husband, Party of Five actor Scott Wolf.—
Ryan Coleman September 2,
EW.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Such a contentious course will never happen as there are many opposed to such a radical move.—
Vipin Bharathan,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after fighters from Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in control of the territory, attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages.—
Stephanie van den Berg,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The military that took over Burkina Faso in a 2022 coup has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent amid worsening Islamist militant violence in the West African country.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The plaintiffs argued the displacement was motivated by a desire to limit readers' access to books with viewpoints that are unpopular and controversial in the area.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
McLaren made a controversial decision at the Italian Grand Prix, swapping Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's positions at the end of the race.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels for electricity.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter took it as a hostile act and approached Prescott, meeting face-to-face with him.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Of all the bad-hair-day culprits, matted hair can be the most stubborn and frustrating.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Spills can be blotted (never rubbed) with a dry cloth since the fabric is non-absorptive, and for more stubborn stains, dry cleaning is recommended.—
Zoë Sessums,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, Helen is allowed to be irritable and anti-social, chain-smoking and snappish, without the filmmaker casting judgment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If you are rushed or irritable, say so.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This Mary is horny, drunk, and completely belligerent about her dream of being a cabaret star.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Both Iran and Israel emerged from June's 12-day war claiming victory, but their rhetoric since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire has grown increasingly belligerent.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quarrelsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrelsome. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share