How to Use contentious in a Sentence

contentious

adjective
Definition of contentiousnext
Synonyms for contentiousnext
  • The dispute involves one of the region's most contentious leaders.
  • After a contentious debate, members of the committee finally voted to approve the funding.
  • The treatment of detainees can be an contentious topic in France.
    — Aurelien Breeden Andrea Mantovani For The New York Times, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The deal represented a breakthrough on one of the most contentious issues at the U.N. summit in Egypt.
    — Alex Cuadros, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2023
  • The sometimes contentious process resulted in both parties filing unfair labor practice complaints, which are still ongoing.
    — Lisa Phu, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Retirement by the state’s senior senator, who was elected in 1992, is expected to prompt a contentious race for the coveted post.
    — Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2023
  • Voting has concluded in one of the most contentious U.S. presidential elections in recent history.
    — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024
  • The tentative deal involves contentious issues for groups wanting shares of a valuable resource as populations of some species – particularly whitefish and salmon – have fallen over the past two decades.
    — John Flesher, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2022
  • One of the most contentious issues was the fate of Mr. al-Bashir.
    — New York Times, 25 Oct. 2021
  • The vote to move forward with the plan was contentious.
    — Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 28 Oct. 2024
  • The Power of the Dog at a key point in this year's contentious awards race.
    — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2022
  • Her win capped the most contentious RNC race in two decades.
    — David Jackson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2023
  • The run-up to the vote was contentious and the aftermath has been, too.
    — Rachel Janfaza, Teen Vogue, 13 Mar. 2019
  • Their son was born in 2016, and the pair had a contentious divorce.
    — Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
  • The brawl became one of the day’s most contentious moments.
    — oregonlive, 12 Sep. 2019
  • My current home rests a block from the most contentious point of what was the Berlin Wall.
    — Tessa Love, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2019
  • The appointment process turned contentious from the start.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The contentious debate on how to accomplish that now moves to the full House.
    — Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022
  • The discussion over the park at times grew contentious.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 May 2017
  • After all, many of the contentious bills had already been heard and passed.
    — Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2019
  • Which means one of the most fraught disputes in the world could become even more contentious very soon.
    — Alex Ward, Vox, 5 Aug. 2019
  • Masking has been a contentious issue around us for a year-and-a-half.
    — Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2021
  • If the male side of pantomime wrestling is contentious, the world of women’s WWE is even more so.
    — Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 Mar. 2023
  • This could easily be the closest (and most contentious) match of the first round.
    — Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2023
  • Shoes have been a contentious topic throughout the ages.
    — Katharine K. Zarrella, WSJ, 5 Nov. 2022
  • That will likely remain the most contentious issue in the courts.
    — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, 25 Sep. 2017
  • Even with his backing, there was a contentious floor voice vote.
    — Harry Enten, CNN, 15 May 2018
  • Mask-wearing has been a contentious issue on planes over the past two years.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 19 Mar. 2022
  • What's a girl going through a contentious divorce to do?
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Voters streamed to the polls on Tuesday in Arizona, a key battleground state, where a deep sense of anxiousness prevailed over the outcome of one of the most contentious presidential races in memory.
    — Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contentious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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