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
How did Marlowe find the space in his head, let alone in his days and nights, to compose his quarrelsome works, aiming them so squarely at the heavens and the gut?
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 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
Wolf-dogs are quarrelsome, but not a great deal more so than normal sled dogs.
—Ted Updike, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2025
And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 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
Wolf-dogs are quarrelsome, but not a great deal more so than normal sled dogs.
—Ted Updike, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2025
And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrelsome
Adjective
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The operation also resulted in the killing of two US citizens, the deployment of aggressive tactics by armed, masked DHS agents, and a soaring sense of trepidation permeating Minnesota’s immigrant communities.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Torres Hidalgo had been diagnosed with the rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer in December 2024.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The discussion around tips remains contentious, and California lawmakers have struggled with how to handle the imperfect solution of service fees.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Over the past several weeks, Israel has launched a contentious land regulation process that will deepen its control in the occupied West Bank.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The ceasefire deal calls for an armed international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel.—
Aamer Madhani,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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But since the beginning of the year, hundreds of Nigerians have been killed, injured, or kidnapped in attacks across the country with responsibility attributed to a mix of militant and criminal actors, including Boko Haram, the Islamic State, and a group known as Lakurawa.—
Adrian Elimian,
semafor.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Denver is considering ending its relationship with Flock, a controversial company that maintains a network of license-plate reading cameras in the city, but Mayor Mike Johnston’s office plans to continue using that technology.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
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Torres has a controversial legacy in Colombia, where conservatives have long derided his decision to seek political change through violent means.—
Manuel Rueda,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Deery believes that decline can be attributed in part to prospective students and parents feeling like campuses are hostile to those who don't hold a liberal-leaning worldview.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
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For some unexplained reason, if such an event continues for a prolonged period, citizens can often become inexplicably hostile.—
Wayne Chan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
-
Lack of sleep can lead to a range of problems, including feeling more irritable.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
7 Feb. 2026
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On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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One person refuses to bow — not an army, not a revolution, one stubborn Jew minding his own business — and Haman cannot function.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
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Scrub gently with a soft sponge or brush, focusing on stubborn areas.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quarrelsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrelsome. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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