Contentious
Contentious adjective - Feeling or displaying eagerness to fight.
Defensive is an antonym for contentious.
Nearby Word: contention
Defensive
Defensive adjective - Intended to resist or prevent attack or aggression.
Usage example: a defensive alliance among the small nations against the aggressors
Contentious is an antonym for defensive.
Both words in one sentence
- Their comments and letters were contentious and sort of aggressively defensive.
Source: Captain Obvious Aesop
Cite this Source
Defensive and Contentious. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 07, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/contentious/defensive
Contentious & Defensive. N.p., 2016. Web. 07 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/contentious/defensive>.
Defensive or Contentious. 2016. Accessed August 07, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/contentious/defensive.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "contentious" and "defensive" have occurred on timeline