LESSON 7: THE CANTANKEROUS CLUSTER

Words Relating to Quarreling, Fighting, and Bitter Feelings

Animosity• 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• 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• 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• 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• 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• 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• 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• 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• 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