bickering

1 of 2

noun

bick·​er·​ing ˈbi-k(ə-)riŋ 

: petty and petulant quarreling especially when prolonged or habitual

… said his own bosses, through their persistent bickering, had made his job practically impossible.

—Ronald Scott

also, bickerings plural : instances of such quarreling

was tired of listening to their endless bickerings

bickering

2 of 2

adjective

: engaging in or characterized by petty and petulant quarreling

a bickering couple

bickering politicians

Examples of bickering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

All this media bickering and back-and-forth in the NBA really is like high school, right? —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025

Now that bickering duo is vying to take his place, with a mismatched pair of feds—an intense rookie (Alexandra Ruddy) and her legend-in-his-own-mind boss, played by Tim Baltz—tracking their every move. —Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025

Adjective

Created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer, the popular show aired for six seasons from 1973-76, to be followed by the spinoff George and Mildred, which saw the bickering Ropers move to a nicer home on the series that lasted five seasons through 1976-79. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025

Anchoring it all is the bickering dynamic and powerful bond between Sam/Charly and Mitch. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1811, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bickering

• flickering
• snickering