quarrelsome

[ kwawr-uhl-suhm, kwor- ]

adjective

1. inclined to quarrel; argumentative; contentious.

quarrelsome

/ ˈkwɒrəlsəm /

adjective

1. inclined to quarrel or disagree; belligerent

Derived Forms

• ˈquarrelsomeness, noun
• ˈquarrelsomely, adverb

Other Word Forms

• quarrel·some·ly adverb
• quarrel·some·ness noun
• un·quarrel·some adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarrelsome¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; quarrel ¹ + -some ¹

Example Sentences

According to Penguin Random House, the book depicts the story of "two quarrelsome old men in Chennai, India, who experience private tragedy against the backdrop of national calamity".

From BBC

But in grieving his lost youth, he became quarrelsome and sometimes belligerent.

From Los Angeles Times

Paranoid, controlling, quarrelsome and rigid, LadyBird turns out to have a traumatic secret of her own.

From Los Angeles Times

Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to lay out how he and his quarrelsome governing coalition aim to fix things in a speech to parliament Tuesday.

From Seattle Times

The ruling has tied Scholz’s quarrelsome, three-party coalition in knots as the cabinet tries to comply with the decision, raising uncertainty about which government programs will be cut.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• belligerent
• cantankerous
• combative
• contentious
• fractious
• litigious
• petulant
• tempestuous
• turbulent
• unruly