Contentious
Contentious adjective - Feeling or displaying eagerness to fight.
Usage example: the Tartars were a contentious people who terrorized much of Asia and eastern Europe during the Middle Ages
Surly and contentious are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Surly" instead an adjective "Contentious".
Nearby Word: contention
Surly
Surly adjective - Having or showing a habitually bad temper.
Usage example: the surly receptionist told us we'd have to wait outside in the rain
Contentious and surly are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Contentious" instead an adjective "Surly".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- rude and contentious
- rude and surly
- irritable and contentious
- irritable and surly
- ill-tempered and contentious
- ill-tempered and surly
- disagreeable and contentious
- disagreeable and surly
- testy and contentious
- testy and surly
- touchy and contentious
- touchy and surly
- fractious and contentious
- fractious and surly
Cite this Source
Surly and Contentious. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/contentious/surly
Contentious & Surly. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/contentious/surly>.
Surly or Contentious. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/contentious/surly.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "contentious" and "surly" have occurred on timeline