from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Contentious \Con*ten"tious\, a. [L. contentiosus: cf. F.
contentieux.]
1. Fond of contention; given to angry debate; provoking
dispute or contention; quarrelsome.
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Despotic and contentious temper. --Macaulay.
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2. Relating to contention or strife; involving or
characterized by contention. --Spenser.
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More cheerful, though not less contentious, regions.
--Brougham.
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3. (Law) Contested; litigated; litigious; having power to
decide controversy.
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{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},
adv. -- {Con*ten"tious*ness}, n.
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