contentious
causing or likely to cause argument; quarrelsome
Word origin: From Latin contendere, to strive or contend.
Contentious in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing contentious in a sentence.
Immigration remains the most contentious issue in the campaign.
The proposed zoning change proved so contentious that the council meeting stretched past midnight.
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Verbal · Text Completion
The historian argued that the empire's collapse was not blank but the predictable outcome of decades of fiscal mismanagement that contemporaries had simply refused to acknowledge.
Using “contentious” well
Contentious has two strands: a topic can be contentious in the sense of disputed, and a person can be contentious in the sense of quarrelsome. The word itself signals likely conflict either way.
More GRE words starting with C
a small secret group plotting against a government or authority
having a hidden or mysterious meaning understood only by initiates
a harsh, jarring mixture of sounds
to obtain something by begging or sponging off others
falling off or shed at an early stage, especially of plant parts
to coax someone into doing something through flattery or persuasion
an event causing great damage, loss, or distress
misty, dim, or dark, and therefore obscure
Questions about “contentious”
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