disputive

Disputive is an English adjective meaning inclined to dispute or argue, or relating to disputation or debate. It can describe a person who tends to argue, or a matter that is prone to dispute. In contemporary use the term is relatively uncommon; more familiar alternatives include disputatious, contentious, or controversial when referring to people or topics.

The word derives from Latin disputivus, from disputare “to discuss, dispute,” with the suffix -ivus. It reached English through older borrowings such as Old French disputif. The sense is typically “pertaining to dispute” or “open to dispute,” and it is most often found in older or formal prose.

Usage notes: Disputive is sometimes used in scholarly or philosophical writing to describe questions, arguments, or modes of inquiry that invite disagreement. For distinctions, disputable means capable of being disputed; disputatious or quarrelsome describe a person who habitually argues. Disputive remains rare in modern everyday English, and readers may prefer disputatious for a quarrelsome person or disputable for a matter open to challenge. Related terms include dispute, disputation, and disputation-related concepts in some academic contexts.

Disputive examples: “a disputive topic invites analysis and debate,” and “the disputive nature of the debate complexified the proceedings.”