variants
or quarrelling
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
the coach and the referee quarreled about whether the ball was in bounds
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quarreling
The discovery was entirely by chance, and happened when an officer responded to Mirella's parents' residence after neighbors reported quarreling, per several outlets.
—
Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
The political malaise risks metastasizing into an economic crisis because the quarreling political parties cannot agree on a way forward, such as passing a budget and addressing the country's alarming budget deficit and mounting national debt.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Will the two be allowed to wed, or will Ellen’s brothers, quarrelling over their father’s chair, bargain her off to other suitors to improve their chances?
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarreling
Verb
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Someone on the bench started bickering with Cameroon’s first goalscorer, Junior Tchamadeu, during a break in play.—
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The Federal Reserve chair and the president stood stiffly, side by side, in matching hard hats, bickering on a building site, for all the world to see.—
Verb
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Trump has openly lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize, arguing that his actions have helped resolve multiple international conflicts, claims that have drawn public backing from several world leaders.—
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Prosecutors deny Bondi has conflict of interest Federal prosecutors slammed the defense's claims as meritless and misleading, arguing there is no conflict of interest with the attorney general because there is no present or future financial gain.—
Verb
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Barton gave the jury the impression of a man prepared to go into daily combat on numerous fronts, constantly fighting one battle after another, in service of his principles.—
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The Justice Department under him was not really interested in fighting crime.—
Cite this Entry
“Quarreling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarreling. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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