Meaning
- Contentious means causing or likely to cause arguments, disagreements, or disputes.
- It can also describe a person who often argues or enjoys provoking conflict.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: adjective
- Structure: a contentious issue / a contentious debate / a contentious person
- Often used in political, legal, or social contexts to describe controversial matters.
Examples of usage in structure:
- "a contentious topic"
- "a contentious personality"
- "a contentious debate"
Common Phrases
- A contentious issue
- Contentious debate
- Contentious topic
- Contentious relationship
Collocations
- Adjective + Noun: contentious issue, contentious subject, contentious decision
- Verb + Contentious: becomes contentious, remains contentious, proves contentious
- Contentious + Noun/Clause: contentious debate, contentious proposal
Examples
- Abortion is a highly contentious issue in many countries.
- The proposal became contentious during the meeting.
- He has a contentious personality and often gets into arguments.
- The law remains contentious despite several amendments.
- The election results sparked a contentious debate.
- Their relationship was always contentious.
- Climate change policies are contentious among politicians.
- The decision to close the school was contentious in the community.
Synonyms or Related
- Controversial
- Disputed
- Argumentative
- Provocative
- Quarrelsome
