contentious

English

WOTD – 6 March 2010

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French contentieux, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”); see contend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Adjective

contentious (comparative more contentious, superlative most contentious)

1. Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
   • 2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Ukraine, however, will complain long and hard about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic's shot clearly crossed the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry, only for the officials to remain unmoved.

2. Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:quarrelsome
• See also Thesaurus:combative

Derived terms

• contentiously
• contentiousness
• uncontentious

Related terms

• contend
• contender
• contention

Translations

marked by controversy

• Bulgarian: спорен (bg) (sporen)
• Catalan: controvertit, contenciós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 有爭議／有争议 (yǒuzhēngyì), 有争议 (yǒuzhēngyì)

• Czech: sporný (cs) m
• Dutch: omstreden (nl), aangevochten (nl)
• Finnish: kiistanalainen (fi)
• French: controversé (fr)
• Georgian: სადავო (sadavo), საკამათო (saḳamato)
• German: umstritten (de), strittig (de), kontrovers (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: vitás (hu), vitatott (hu)
• Irish: conspóideach
• Italian: controverso (it)
• Maori: kūraruraru, ahitere, whakawehewehe
• Norwegian: omstridt / kontroversiell
• Polish: sporny (pl) m
• Portuguese: controverso (pt) m
• Russian: дискуссионный (ru) (diskussionnyj), спо́рный (ru) (spórnyj)
• Spanish: controvertido (es)
• Swedish: omstridd (sv), omtvistad
• Turkish: tartışmalı (tr), mücâdeleci, çekişmeli (tr), kavgacı (tr)
• Welsh: dadleuol (cy)

given to struggling

• Bulgarian: свадлив (bg) (svadliv)
• Catalan: contenciós
• Dutch: agressief (nl), strijdlustig (nl), vechtjas (nl), provocateur (nl), ruziemaker (nl)
• Finnish: riitaisa (fi), riidanhaluinen
• French: belliqueux (fr), agressif (fr), provocateur (fr), combatif (fr), batailleur (fr), bagarreur (fr), chamailleur (fr), querelleur (fr)
• German: streitsüchtig (de), streitbar (de), zänkisch (de), provokativ (de), streitlustig
• Greek:

  Ancient: φιλόνεικος (philóneikos)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: veszekedő, pörlekedő
• Italian: bellicoso (it), aggressivo (it), provocatore (it)
• Portuguese: conflituoso m
• Russian: вздорный (ru) (vzdornyj), придирчивый (ru) (pridirčivyj), любящий спо́рить (ljubjaščij spóritʹ)
• Spanish: conflictivo (es), pendenciero, camorrista, belicoso (es), provocador (es)
• Swedish: bråkig (sv)

References

• “contentious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “contentious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.