WRANGLE Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'wrangle' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wrangle are altercation , quarrel , and squabble . While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions. // wrangle interminably about small issues

Q: When could 'altercation' be used to replace 'wrangle'?

The synonyms altercation and wrangle are sometimes interchangeable, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows. // a loud public altercation

Q: When can 'quarrel' be used instead of 'wrangle'?

The words quarrel and wrangle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention. // a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

Q: When would 'squabble' be a good substitute for 'wrangle'?

Although the words squabble and wrangle have much in common, squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger. // a brief squabble over what to do next

wrangle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of wrangle next

as in dispute

an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions there was a bit of a wrangle over how much money to give the high school for its sports programs

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wrangle

2 of 2

verb

ˈraŋ-gəl

as in to bicker

to express different opinions about something often angrily a town meeting at which local residents wrangled for hours about property taxes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun wrangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wrangle are altercation, quarrel, and squabble. While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

When could altercation be used to replace wrangle?

The synonyms altercation and wrangle are sometimes interchangeable, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

When can quarrel be used instead of wrangle?

The words quarrel and wrangle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

When would squabble be a good substitute for wrangle?

Although the words squabble and wrangle have much in common, squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

Examples 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 wrangle

Noun

Grillo's Flag wrangles the squad, which consists of Frankenstein (David Harbour), The Bride (Indira Varma), GI Robot (Sean Gunn), Weasel (also Sean Gunn), Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), and Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao). —

Christian Holub, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2024 Following Jerome Powell’s intense wrangle with inflation, the 12-month CPI percentage for August 2024 came in at 2.5%—ticking the second box. —

Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2024

Verb

The two then called police, and deputies were able to wrangle the python into a pillowcase and out of the bathroom. —

Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 14 Nov. 2024 Irwin the juvenile red kangaroo was safely returned to its family after police officers in Durango, Colorado successfully wrangled the lost animal. —

Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wrangle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrangle

Noun

Nearly a decade later, a dark storm cloud has descended upon his increasingly unpopular administration, with the resignation of a top Cabinet minister over a dispute about how to manage US president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

Lex Harvey, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Research has distinguished between three simple strategies to deal with neighbor disputes: avoidance of the party whose behavior is experienced as unneighborly; confronting the neighbor face-to-face; and relying on a third party to sort out the issue, e.g. the landlord or even police.

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024