1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a quarrelsome student who was always being sent to the principal's office for starting fights in the halls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contentious
given to arguing
you're so quarrelsome: you can never do anything without a fuss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 quarrelsome
The romantic pentagon’s members are quarrelsome, foolish, and discombobulated by the passage of time—characters often describe themselves as being a bore or a burden, or as having missed their moment.
—
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The battlegrounds have also multiplied, from a few notoriously quarrelsome parent councils to traditionally peaceful spots around the city.
—Troy Closson, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The almost too-perfect sibling rivalry storyline marched on following the release of 2001’s Lions and a joint tour with fellow famously quarrelsome brother duo Oasis — winkingly called the Tour of Brotherly Love — after which the Crowes went on hiatus in 2002.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Paranoid, controlling, quarrelsome and rigid, LadyBird turns out to have a traumatic secret of her own.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The battlegrounds have also multiplied, from a few notoriously quarrelsome parent councils to traditionally peaceful spots around the city.
—Troy Closson, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The almost too-perfect sibling rivalry storyline marched on following the release of 2001’s Lions and a joint tour with fellow famously quarrelsome brother duo Oasis — winkingly called the Tour of Brotherly Love — after which the Crowes went on hiatus in 2002.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Paranoid, controlling, quarrelsome and rigid, LadyBird turns out to have a traumatic secret of her own.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quarrelsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrelsome
Adjective
-
State legislators have been trying for years to boost local education aid without weakening an aggressive savings program that’s been wiping out Connecticut’s debts faster than ever before.—
Jessika Harkay,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Read more: Rams and Matthew Stafford Agree on Restructured Deal to Keep Him in LA The Raiders were reportedly the most aggressive team and had a lucrative offer on the table to land Stafford.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump taunted Democrats and fueled new litigation against his contentious policies during his speech to Congress Tuesday while basking in the cheers and applause of fellow Republicans.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
-
European stocks are heading for a higher open on Wednesday amid optimism that U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% duties on Canada and Mexico could be relaxed, with investors also paying attention to the potential reform of Germany’s contentious debt brake system.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The militant group has said that the move would affect the remaining hostages as well.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
-
In December, a coalition of opposition fighters led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over cities and eventually Damascus as regime forces retreated.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Later in the week, Stahl added another wrinkle to the controversial traffic stop.—
Charles Rabin and,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Between something that felt safer, more glamorous and more crowd pleasing, versus something that was a bit more potentially controversial, or something that some people might understand or not understand.—
Alison Edmond,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The set-up has grown increasingly hostile over time, and became an impassible roadblock when the Lerner family tried to sell the Nationals back in 2022.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Prince overcame the hostile environment and kept TCU afloat during the first quarter when the Horned Frogs struggled to find their footing offensively.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But four months after becoming the first Republican in two decades to win the popular vote, Trump faces a new reality of needing to tackle some of the most stubborn challenges awaiting any new president and deliver on his campaign promises to lower prices.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Another type of hyperpigmentation that kojic acid can help with is melasma—a stubborn and hard-to-treat skin condition characterized by splotchy, brown or grayish patches.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Cold exposure is particularly helpful for those who have irritable skin through the constriction of blood vessels, alleviating swelling and flushes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The elderly single mom, played with an irritable, bone-deep bitterness by Irish actor Fiona Shaw, has spent the past few years paralyzed by an illness no one can diagnose.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Listen to this article A federal judge has ruled a Winter Park cop who fatally shot an unarmed but belligerent man at a wedding in 2022 can be personally sued for wrongful death.—
Silas Morgan,
Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Nothing good comes from drunk and belligerent passengers.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quarrelsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrelsome. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share