7
cantankerous(adjective, nasty, difficult, cross, rude)
7
irascible(adjective, difficult, cross, irritable, emotional)
7
militant(adjective, mean, attack, sharp, nasty)
7
peevish(adjective, difficult, cross, rude, unpleasant)
7
choleric(adjective, difficult, cross, irritable, emotional)
7
petulant(adjective, difficult, cross, rude, unpleasant)
7
querulous(adjective, difficult, cross, rude, unpleasant)
6
captious(adjective, argumentative, quarrelsome, irascibility)
6
conflicting(adjective, conflicting, discordant)
6
cross(adjective, mean, sharp, difficult, harsh)
6
disagreeable(adjective, difficult, unfriendly, bad-tempered, argumentative)
6
discordant(adjective, discord, conflicting, discordant)
6
disputative(adjective, argumentative, quarrelsome)
6
dissident(adjective, conflicting)
6
eristic(adjective, difficult, rude, unpleasant, conflict)
6
fractious(adjective, difficult, cross, awkward, hostile)
6
grouchy(adjective, difficult, cross, rude, unpleasant)
6
polemical(adjective, conflict, argumentative, quarrelsome, provocative)
6
short-tempered(adjective, cross, ill-tempered)
6
waspish(adjective, difficult, rude, unpleasant, unfriendly)
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APASmart Define. (2015). contentious thesaurus. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/contentious/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "contentious thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/contentious/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, contentious thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/contentious/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "contentious thesaurus" 13 April 2015. Web. 20 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/contentious/thesaurus/synonyms>