quarrel 1 of 2

noun

Definition of quarrelnext
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions a loud quarrel erupted at the next table over

Synonyms & Similar Words

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quarrel

2 of 2

verb

as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily the coach and the referee quarreled about whether the ball was in bounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun quarrel contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of quarrel are altercation, squabble, and wrangle. While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

When would altercation be a good substitute for quarrel?

The words altercation and quarrel can be used in similar contexts, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

When can squabble be used instead of quarrel?

The synonyms squabble and quarrel are sometimes interchangeable, but squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

When is it sensible to use wrangle instead of quarrel?

While the synonyms wrangle and quarrel are close in meaning, wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of quarrel
Noun
Washington had already picked quarrels with neighbors and allies such as Canada, Mexico, Panama and Greenland, on the grounds that the US was asserting its self-interests. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025 Soon, life coach and hypnotherapist Sarah Malone interrupted the quarrel and sent away all of the couples so Sophie and Rob could hash out the issue one-on-one. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Verb
Few would quarrel with a program aimed at overcoming the isolation that deaf and hard-of-hearing people may experience, but its creation nearly a half-century ago illustrates the wheeling and self-dealing that dominated the Capitol in the 1970s and 1980s. —Dan Walters, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2025 Guests will never quarrel over space, as the folding bulwarks expand the beach club area in the stern, creating an alfresco hub of sociability. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quarrel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrel
  1. dispute
  2. bicker
  3. altercation
  4. argue
  5. disagreement
  6. fight
  7. controversy
  8. spat
Noun
  • An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the cancellations, but the company has noted in its annual report that international trade disputes, including tariffs, pose a risk to its business.
    — Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Approach with caution, look at reviews, and maybe don’t use your main credit card (or at least keep your bank’s dispute line handy).
    — Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of dispute
Verb
  • Sorrell also said bickering by leadership is affecting the community.
    — Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.
    — Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • The two then had an altercation, during which one of the children was knocked over and Villalobos fled, according to authorities.
    — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Although officially estranged, the couple were still living together with their three sons under the age of 11 at the time of the July 16, 2023, altercation outside their house.
    — Liam Quinn, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of altercation
Verb
  • And some would argue that the lawsuits from NYT and others against OpenAI or other model companies represent a case of this.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Daron Acemoglu has argued for a more all-encompassing approach.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of argue
Noun
  • This is the classic day for disagreements with anyone in a position of authority.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Early disagreements or toxic positivity among leaders can leave deep, long-lasting cultural scars that become institutionalized as dysfunction.
    — Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Definition of disagreement
Verb
  • As the war lurched into its fourth year, Russian losses of tanks, fighting vehicles and other heavy equipment had exceeded 20,000, according to the analysts at the Oryx intelligence collective, which confirms each loss with imagery from the front line.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The court fight over Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia is a most unusual one in that no one denies that the government violated the law in deporting him.
    — The Editors, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of fight
Noun
  • Up next, a ubiquitous presence on television, unafraid of controversy, sounding off on everything from sports to pop culture to politics.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2025
  • The sort-of antagonist in The Last of Us Part II first stirred up controversy when the game originally debuted in 2020.
    — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 13 Apr. 2025
Definition of controversy
Verb
  • The first is that when U.S. soldiers returned from the war there, protesters spat upon them in disdain.
    — Jonathan Zimmerman, Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2016
  • The flare comes after nearly a week of flares and coronal plasma ejections spat toward the planet that threatened disruptions to power and communications systems on Earth.
    — Greg Wehner, Fox News, 15 May 2024
Definition of spat

Browse Nearby Words

quarantining
quarrel
quarreled
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Cite this Entry

“Quarrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrel. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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