QUARREL Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'quarrel' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of quarrel are altercation , squabble , and wrangle . While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention. // a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

Q: When would 'altercation' be a good substitute for 'quarrel'?

The words altercation and quarrel can be used in similar contexts, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows. // a loud public altercation

Q: When can 'squabble' be used instead of 'quarrel'?

The synonyms squabble and quarrel are sometimes interchangeable, but squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger. // a brief squabble over what to do next

Q: When is it sensible to use 'wrangle' instead of 'quarrel'?

While the synonyms wrangle and quarrel are close in meaning, wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions. // wrangle interminably about small issues

quarrel 1 of 2

noun

Definition of quarrel

as in dispute

an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions a loud quarrel erupted at the next table over

Synonyms & Similar Words

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quarrel

2 of 2

verb

as in to bicker

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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How does the noun quarrel contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of quarrel are altercation, squabble, and wrangle. While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

When would altercation be a good substitute for quarrel?

The words altercation and quarrel can be used in similar contexts, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

When can squabble be used instead of quarrel?

The synonyms squabble and quarrel are sometimes interchangeable, but squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

When is it sensible to use wrangle instead of quarrel?

While the synonyms wrangle and quarrel are close in meaning, wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of quarrel

Noun

The quarrel became physical, and a man pulled a gun and shot the woman in the right calf. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026 Look, says everyone, at the movement of the heavens, look at the public, look at that man’s quarrel, at this man’s pulse, at another man’s will; in short, always look high or low, or to one side, or in front, or behind you. — Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026

Verb

In Krisevich’s case, Konovalova repeatedly quarreled with the artist and his wife until the couple ultimately escaped Russia in December 2025. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 In another clip, a student records himself quarreling with a teacher asking him to take out his notes. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quarrel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrel

Noun

Seaver’s dispute with Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager and the sole manager of She’s Alive LLC, first spilled into public view when Nozell sued him last month and sought the restraining order.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Sentara Health, a hospital system in Virginia with more than $14 billion of revenue, recently went through a contract dispute with Anthem, the health plan owned by Elevance Health.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of dispute

Verb

The two of them together, just 17 months apart, shared playlists, bickered over where to stop during Apple CarPlay calls, pulled up beside me and faded away with silly faces, encapsulating 20 years of my life in my rearview mirror.

— Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of bicker

Noun

One of Bonner's friends appeared to get into an argument with the third man as the second male friend attempted to hold him back from an altercation.

— Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris said at Sunday's community vigil that the suspect had allegedly gotten into an altercation with staff at a wireless store in the Chatham neighborhood just before the fatal stabbing, WLS reported.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of altercation

Verb

Marc Elias has argued dozens of cases around mail-in balloting and election access across the country and in front of the Supreme Court over the last decade.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
His complaint argues that the plural title invites audiences to suspect a second culprit besides Mun.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of argue

Verb

Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
His emphasis on fighting crime, his anti-left agenda and his confrontations with the Supreme Federal Court and Brazil’s political establishment directly appeal to issues that have mobilized Bolsonaro’s base for years.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of fight

Noun

The subject was not about his arrest, nor the resulting controversy consuming the Wolverine’s football program.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026
The homecoming reignited controversy over conditions endured during the unusually long deployment and reports of multiple sailors attempting suicide.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of controversy

Verb

Mulroney, Ackerman, Snow, and Newman turn this story of spatting WAGS into an explosive, addictive watch.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025
Preparation has cultural and regional variations, but the seed is usually chewed with slaked lime and betel leaves, and chewing releases a red juice that's often then spat out.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2025

Definition of spat

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quarantining

quarrel

quarreled

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“Quarrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrel. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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