as in quarrel
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
there was a bit of a contretemps over the seating arrangements for the upcoming wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contretemps
To outsiders, the summer’s weeks-long contretemps over the prime minister’s after-hours activities might seem like a tempest in a Nordic teapot.
—
Michael Hunt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
What’s followed have been a succession of contretemps.
—David A. Andelman, CNN, 26 Aug. 2022
Marin's lack of good judgment and naivete has led us to this ridiculous contretemps, which will eventually blow over.
—Marja Heinonen, CNN, 23 Aug. 2022
The normally dignified sport had a brief contretemps at the time of the opening game this year.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for contretemps
Michael Hunt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022
What’s followed have been a succession of contretemps.
—David A. Andelman, CNN, 26 Aug. 2022
Marin's lack of good judgment and naivete has led us to this ridiculous contretemps, which will eventually blow over.
—Marja Heinonen, CNN, 23 Aug. 2022
The normally dignified sport had a brief contretemps at the time of the opening game this year.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for contretemps
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contretemps
Noun
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The defense attorney suggested that Cassie’s rape allegation stemmed from a complicated quarrel playing out as their decade-plus relationship came to an end.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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Other great powers will have their territorial goals and quarrels and this does not normally concern you.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Noun
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Jaques said officers at 7:49 a.m. on Sunday received a complaint from a woman who reported that someone was following her vehicle while waving a gun following an altercation at a local gas station.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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Initial data provided by the department suggest that practicing the martial art not only helps boost officers' physical and mental health, but also enables cops to use less force during an arrest or altercation.—
Katja Ridderbusch,
NPR,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Instead, the zoning dispute will be settled in court.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2025
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Those CBAs also require that should there be a dispute as to whether the league, a club, a union, or a player abided by their obligations under the CBA, such dispute be settled through a confidential arbitration process.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
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However, California is far from the only state that saw its girls' track and field championships overshadowed by trans athlete controversy.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2025
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Salgado’s pictures were also freighted with their fair share of controversy.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
31 May 2025
Noun
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The suit recounts numerous comments made by Trump and the White House attacking PBS’ content, to underscore the point that the defunding is motivated by disagreement over speech.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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The question – at the center of disagreements over transgender athletes’ participation in sports – has echoed from high school running tracks to Olympic arenas as lawmakers and sports bodies face intense pressure to weigh in on a debate over what fair play looks like.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Noun
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The Hussein family bickers about which MENA ethnicities are better than others.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2025
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Better to follow the West German example and achieve full NATO membership for independent Ukraine than to watch essential U.S. support dwindle as Congress bickers and Trump’s reelection odds increase.—
M. E. Sarotte,
Foreign Affairs,
8 July 2024
Noun
-
But Circuit Judge John Jordan issued an 18-page decision that rejected the arguments.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2025
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June 26: The Supreme Court upholds parts of the ban and schedules oral arguments for October.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Without a leader and facing a fight over its budget, NASA faces an uncertain future, both in the months ahead and longer term.—
Wendy Whitman Cobb,
The Conversation,
3 June 2025
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This is not the first time a fight has broken out at a Disney park.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contretemps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contretemps. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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