contentious
Likely to argue
Contentious describes something that causes or is likely to cause disagreement: a contentious issue, a contentious election.
A contentious person is argumentative, quick to dispute or quarrel.
The word often signals that reasonable people hold opposing views: The proposal proved contentious among committee members.
Inclined to dispute
- combativeInclined toward conflict
- confrontationalInclined toward hostile encounters
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
- pugnaciousInclined to quarrel
truculent · bellicose · belligerent · cantankerous · irascible · disagreeable · hostile · feisty
Causing sharp division
- divisiveCausing sharp disagreement
- disputedArgued over, unresolved
- debatedFormally argued opposing views
- inflammatoryTending to provoke outrage
provocative · sensitive · fraught · charged · heated · thorny · vexed · problematic
Causing sharp division
- schismFormal organizational fracture
- riftCrack or estrangement
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- partisanshipLoyalty to one faction
sectarianism · discord · dissension · disunion · estrangement · alienation · fracture · cleavage
Civil court proceeding
- litigationLegal dispute process
- plaintiffCivil case initiator
- defendantParty facing charges
- sueBring legal action
tort · grievance · injunction · dispute · arbitration · settlement · damages · courtroom
Disputed or questioned
- debatableOpen to question
- questionableOf uncertain validity
- arguableOpen to dispute
- unresolvedLacking final determination
unsettled · litigated · negotiated · conflicting · competing · rival · opposing · incompatible
quarrelsome
Inclined to dispute
- combativeInclined toward conflict
- confrontationalInclined toward hostile encounters
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
pugnacious · truculent · bellicose · belligerent · cantankerous · irascible · disagreeable · hostile · feisty · ornery
polarizing
Causing sharp division
- divisiveCausing sharp disagreement
- disputedArgued over, unresolved
- debatedFormally argued opposing views
inflammatory · provocative · sensitive · fraught · charged · heated · thorny · vexed · problematic · incendiary
polarizing
Causing sharp division
- schismFormal organizational fracture
- riftCrack or estrangement
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
partisanship · sectarianism · discord · dissension · disunion · estrangement · alienation · fracture · cleavage · bifurcation
lawsuit
Civil court proceeding
- litigationLegal dispute process
- plaintiffCivil case initiator
- defendantParty facing charges
sue · tort · grievance · injunction · dispute · arbitration · settlement · damages · courtroom · claim
challenged
Disputed or questioned
- debatableOpen to question
- questionableOf uncertain validity
- arguableOpen to dispute
unresolved · unsettled · litigated · negotiated · conflicting · competing · rival · opposing · incompatible · contradictory
- oppositionopponent, adversary, rival, foe, enemy
- hostile attitudeshostile, aggressive, combative, belligerent, adversarial
- irritabilitycranky, grouchy, grumpy, irritated, annoyed
- misbehaviormisbehave, misbehavior, mischief, misconduct, naughty
- personalitiesintrovert, optimist, extrovert, pessimist, idealist
- Questionabledubious, shady, fishy, sketchy, iffy
contentiouspeaceable
Averse to strife
pacific · conciliatory · agreeable · nonbelligerent · nonaggressive
contentiousuncontroversial
Not subject to debate
noncontroversial · uncontentious · settled · undisputed · uncontested
- bone of contentionDisputed matter between parties
- point of contentionDisputed issue between parties
- in contentionAble to win
contention, contentiousness, contentions, uncontentious, contentiously, noncontentious