LESSON 7: THE CANTANKEROUS CLUSTER Words Relating to Quarreling, Fighting, and Bitter Feelings

Animosity Hatred; ill will Vince no longer felt any animosity toward his sister after she apologized to him. The animosity between the North and the South led to the American Civil War. The teammates put aside their animosities at practice to focus on the game. Noun Hatred; ill will

Antagonism Hatred or hostility Alice expressed his antagonism toward Tom by glaring whenever he walked past. Kyle was able to defeat his antagonist by preparing twice as hard for their next match. During the Cold War, there was a strong antagonism between the United States and the Soviet Union. Noun Hatred or hostility

Bellicose Of a quarrelsome nature After Parliament passed the Tea Act, a group of bellicose patriots tossed chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The bellicose children in Lord of the Flies frequently fought amongst themselves. Genghis Khan’s bellicose army conquered most of Asia. Adjective Of a quarrelsome nature

Belligerent Taking part in war or fighting The belligerent nation sent its soldiers to the border to prepare for war. Jared expressed his belligerence toward his friends by shouting angrily. North Korea’s belligerent actions led the United Nations to impose sanctions. Adjective, Noun Taking part in war or fighting

Cantankerous Bad-tempered; quarrelsome The cantankerous old man wouldn’t stop arguing. My uncle complained cantankerously about the food. Many people become increasingly cantankerous as they get older. Adjective Bad-tempered; quarrelsome

Captious It was almost impossible for the hospital staff to please the captious patient. Becky’s captious comments were meant to point out every little mistake her classmates made. It can be frustrating to have a conversation with a captious person. Adjective Tending to find fault or raise petty objections; made for the sake of quarreling

Contentious Causing or likely to cause an argument; quarrelsome Economic policy has long been a contentious issue between Democrats and Republicans. The contentious siblings frequently argued with one another. Many people become distressed by the contentious tone of modern politics. Adjective Causing or likely to cause an argument; quarrelsome

Disputatious Likely to argue; motivated by or causing strong opinions The disputatious friends enjoyed engaging in debates. There was a lot of shouting at the disputatious city council meeting. I disagreed with my professor and responded to his assertion disputatiously. Adjective Likely to argue; motivated by or causing strong opinions

Polemical Inclined to argue; controversial The writer wrote a polemical essay responding to the government’s actions. The polemical students disagreed with one another on almost every issue. The polemical play was greeted with harsh reviews upon its premiere. Adjective Inclined to argue; controversial

Predator The predatory lending schemes of many loan companies contributed to the economic recession. Her great wealth made her vulnerable to predators. Wolves are major predators of smaller animals. Noun One who takes advantage of another; a strong adversary or rival

Pugnacious Eager to fight The pugnacious boxers were ready to enter the ring. Rob’s pugnacious nature got him into serious trouble a number of times. Politicians today seem to have an increasingly pugancious demeanor. Adjective Eager to fight