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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Contentious \Con*ten"tious\, adjective [L. contentiosus: cf. F. contentieux.]
1. Fond of contention; given to angry debate; provoking dispute or contention; quarrelsome.
Despotic and contentious temper. --Macaulay.
2. Relating to contention or strife; involving or characterized by contention. --Spenser.
More cheerful, though not less contentious, regions. --Brougham.
3. (Law) Contested; litigated; litigious; having power to decide controversy.
{Contentious jurisdiction} (Eng. Eccl. Law), jurisdiction over matters in controversy between parties, in contradistinction to {voluntary jurisdiction}, or that exercised upon matters not opposed or controverted.
Syn: Quarrelsome; pugnacious; dissentious; wrangling; litigious; perverse; peevish. -- {Con*ten"tious*ly}, adverb -- {Con*ten"tious*ness}, noun
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
contentiousness
noun: a disposition to fight [syn: {aggressiveness}, {belligerence}, {pugnacity}, {quarrelsomeness}]
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |