contentious
likely to cause argument
Roots
- -ous / -ious: full of or marked by a quality
- com-: with, together, complete, or intensified
- tend / tens: stretch, strain, or extend
Other words with the tend / tens root
- contend: to struggle or argue for a position
- contention: a claim or point of disagreement
- detente: easing of tension
- distend: to swell by stretching outward
- tension: strain from being stretched or pulled
Contentious issues create tension: people pull hard in different directions instead of settling easily.
The proposal became contentious once students saw who would lose funding.
Contentious is not just controversial as a label. It means the room is ready to contend: claims, interests, or tempers pull against each other.