contentious

WOTD – 6 March 2010, 6 March 2011

From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous.

contentious (comparative more contentious, superlative most contentious)

Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
- 2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport‎:
  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.
Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.
- 2020, Susanna Clarke, Piranesi, Bloomsbury, page 212:
  She was not a contentious person as the Other had been; she did not argue and contradict everything I said.

marked by controversy

given to struggling

Bulgarian: свадлив (bg) (svadliv)
Catalan: contenciós
Dutch: agressief (nl), strijdlustig (nl)
Finnish: riitaisa (fi), riidanhaluinen (fi)
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 (de)
Greek:
Ancient: φιλόνεικος (philóneikos)
Hungarian: veszekedő (hu), pörlekedő
Italian: bellicoso (it), aggressivo (it), provocatore (it)
Latin: contentiōsus
Polish: kłótliwy (pl), swarliwy
Portuguese: conflituoso (pt) m
Russian: вздорный (ru) (vzdornyj), придирчивый (ru) (pridirčivyj), любящий спо́рить (ljubjaščij spóritʹ)
Spanish: conflictivo (es), pendenciero (es), camorrista (es), belicoso (es), provocador (es)
Swedish: bråkig (sv)
Ukrainian: зади́рливий m (zadýrlyvyj), приче́пливий m (pryčéplyvyj)