Etymologically
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contentious

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Pronunciation

  • /kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English contenciose, also contencios,[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French contentieux[5][6][7][8] and directly borrowed from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, obstinate”),[4][3][2] from contentiō (“a struggle, contest”) and the suffix -ōsus.[3][2] The Latin noun is a noun of action formed on the past participle stem of contendō (“to strive, contend”),[4][6] the source of contend.[4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Characterized by contention or dispute: about 1430, in a translation of Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ.[5] Etymonline dates it to the early 15th century,[4] and Dictionary.com to 1400–50.[2]

Semantic evolution

The word was first applied to things, such as disputes and causes, and in 1483 Caxton used it in the legal sense of matters between contending parties.[5] Its use for people inclined to quarrel is recorded from 1533,[5] about 1500 in Etymonline,[4] and Shakespeare extended it in King Lear to a "contentious storm".[5][9] Johnson (1755) defined it as quarrelsome, given to debate, perverse and not peaceable.[9] A sense "warlike", found in Coverdale's Bible of 1535, did not last.[5] Today the word is used mostly of issues that provoke argument, a controversial point or proposal.[3][10][7]

Timeline

  • c. 1430 – characterized by or involving contention.[5]
  • 1483 – in law, relating to disputes between contending parties.[5]
  • 1533 – of persons, quarrelsome, given to dispute.[5] Etymonline dates this sense to about 1500.[4]
  • 1535 – bellicose, warlike (obsolete).[5]
  • before 1616 – transferred, in Shakespeare's King Lear: this contentious storm.[5][9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Likely to cause argument or disagreement; controversial: a contentious decision.[3][10][7]
  2. Inclined to argue or quarrel: a contentious committee member.[10][5]
  3. (law) Relating to a case contested between parties, especially a probate matter.[10][5][7]

Word family

  • contentiously
  • contentiousness
  • noncontentious
  • uncontentious

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  9. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  10. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins