Word of the Day

: February 1, 2025

disputatious

adjective dis-pyuh-TAY-shus

What It Means

Disputatious is a formal word used to describe someone who often disagrees and argues with other people (in other words, someone inclined to dispute). It can also describe something marked or characterized by arguments or controversies, or something that provokes debate or controversy.

// The podcast is hosted by a disputatious pair whose sparring has drawn legions of listeners.

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disputatious in Context

"The 1990s were especially disputatious; civil wars arose on multiple continents, as did major wars in Europe and Africa." — Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023

Did You Know?

Quarrelsome, contentious, polemical—the English language sure loves a multisyllabic word to describe your tetchier types, and who are we to argue? Disputatious is another lengthy adjective applied to people who like to start arguments or find something to disagree about, and it can be used to characterize situations and issues as well. For example, court trials are disputatious; that is, they are marked by the action of disputing. And an issue or matter is disputatious if it provokes controversy. However, if a matter, such as an assertion made by someone, is open to question rather than downright controversial, it’s merely disputable. In any case, there’s no arguing that disputatious, dispute, and disputable have diverged somewhat in meaning from their Latin source: the verb disputare means simply "to discuss."