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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

altercation en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˌɑltɚˈkeɪʃən/ (Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger)
  • /ˌɔːltəˈkeɪʃn̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˌɒl-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˌɔltɚˈkeɪʃən/ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin altercātiō. Cognates * Catalan altercació * Italian altercazione * Occitan altercatio, altercassion * Portuguese altercação * Spanish altercación

Meanings

  1. (countable) An angry or heated dispute.
    • The shooting resulted from an altercation between two armed intoxicated men.
    • [I]n all the disputes in which he was engaged as an Englishman against Englishmen, from his boxing-matches at school to those stormy altercations at the India House and in Parliament amidst which his later years were passed, his very faults were those of a high and magnanimous spirit. 1840 January, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “[Robert] Lord Clive. […]”, in Critical and Historical Essays, Contributed to the Edinburgh Review. […], 2nd edition, volume III, London: […] Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 149:
    • to get into an altercation over (something)
    • An altercation cannot end in your favour. 1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XIX. Miss Byron. In Continuation.”, in The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], volume II, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC, page 138:
    • The truth of my Third Accuſation is confeſt, but the guilt, not acknovvledged; ſince that vvhich excites men to endleſs bavvlings, and altercations; Schiſms, Hereſies and Rebellions, by the vehemencies of Diſpute, is it ſeems vvith our Author no more noxious and criminal, then the Sun that ſtirrs men up to their vvork in the morning, by the importunity of it's beams. 1665, Joseph Glanvill, “Scire/i tuum nihil est: Or, The Authors Defence of the Vanity of Dogmatizing; against the Exceptions of the Learned Tho. Albius [i.e., Thomas White] in His Late Sciri”, in Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC, page 74:
    • "What the hell is it to you who are my friends?" roared McMurdo in a voice which brought every head in the carriage round to witness the altercation. 1914 September – 1915 May, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Man”, in The Valley of Fear: A Sherlock Holmes Novel, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 27 February 1915, →OCLC, part II (The Scowrers), page 170:
  2. (countable, historical) An act of posing questions to, and obtaining answers from, a witness in a court of law.
    • The vvhole of this proceſs is denominated the pleading; in the ſeveral ſtages of vvhich it muſt be carefully obſerved, not to depart or vary from the title or defence, vvhich the party has once inſiſted on. For this (vvhich is called a departure in pleading) might occaſion endleſs altercation. 1768, William Blackstone, “Of Pleading”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book III (Of Private Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 310:
  3. (uncountable) Angry or heated disputation.
    • VVee ſeldome find one peece of Scripture ſo preciſely and plainely expounded by another, as in this Prophecie, to haue aftervvards beene the Subiect of altercation. 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], “That the 70. Years of Captiuitie are to be Numbred from the Destruction of Ierusalem; not from the Migration of Iechonia”, in The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, 1st book, §. V (Of the Three Chiefest Iupiters; and the Strange Storie of the Third), page 5:
    • But she was here interrupted […] by her father's hat being heavily flung from his hand and striking her face. Accustomed to such occasional manifestations of his sense of parental duty, Pleasant merely wiped her face on her hair (which of course had tumbled down) before she twisted it up. This was another common procedure on the part of the ladies of the Hole, when heated by verbal or fistic altercation. 1864 May – 1865 November, Charles Dickens, “More Birds of Prey”, in Our Mutual Friend. […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1865, →OCLC, 2nd book (Birds of a Feather), page 271:
    • The tvvo Chambermaids being again left along, began a ſecond Bout at Altercation, vvhich ſoon produced a Combat of a more active Kind. In this the Victory belonged to the Lady of inferior Rank, but not vvithout ſome Loſs of Blood, of Hair, and of Lavvn and Muſlin. 1749, Henry Fielding, “Containing Scenes of Altercation, of No Very Uncommon Kind”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VII, pages 61–62:
    • The greateſt of my trouble is, that I am forced to deal vvith a vvriting vvhich is filled vvith […] ſo many angry vvords, and ſo many hiſtoricall untruths, that, as I knovv my very mentioning the later vvill be ill taken, ſo I knovv not hovv to deal vvith the former. For if I ſhould pleaſe my ſelf in overpaſſing them, I knovv ſome vvill ſay his Book is unanſvvered, vvho take the ſtrength of it to lie in ſuch vvords: And if I anſvver it, as I ſhall but vveary a Judicious Reader, vvho looks for Arguments, and loathes altercation, ſo I ſhall be forced to ſpeak according to the matter; […] 1651, Richard Baxter, “A Corrective for a Circumforaneous Antidote against the Verity of a Passage in the Epistle before My Treatise of Rest. Section I.”, in Plain Scripture Proof of Infants Church-membership and Baptism: […], London: […] Robert White; and are to be sold by Thomas Underhil, […], and Francis Tyton […], →OCLC, page 241:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
altercations Number=Plur lexicographic

Relateds

altercator · altercative · altercate

Synonyms

argument · hassle · argy-bargy · issue · conflict · quibble · disputation · altercation · disunion · discordance · falling out · wrangle · feud · squabble · disagreement · brawl · bobbery · argument · fight · bawl out · spat · palaver · clash · controversy · dispute · difference · blue · barney · tangle · row · dustup · disharmony · wrangle · tiff · face-off · debate · contention · dissonance · flite · ding-dong · threap · quarrel

Translations (151)

sh verbalni súkob (countable: angry or heated dispute) · enm altercacioun (countable: angry or heated dispute) · scn sciarra (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is deila (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cs svár (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it altercazione (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh spȍr (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi sanaharkka (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · is orðaskak (countable: angry or heated dispute) · jam argument (countable: angry or heated dispute) · nb disputt (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi kiista (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · ar هَوْشَة (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sk hádka (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cy cynnen (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · kmr gengeşe (countable: angry or heated dispute) · bg спор (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ca altercació (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it battibuglio (countable: angry or heated dispute) · la certatus (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pt disputa (countable: angry or heated dispute) · egy ḏꜥ (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is orðakast (countable: angry or heated dispute) · uk перепа́лка (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mk ка́вга (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi रार (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ro altercație (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ur بباد (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pl alterkacja (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cy cweryl (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh прѐпӣрка (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi कहासुनी (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fa مشاجره (countable: angry or heated dispute) · bn বাহাস (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi झगड़ा (countable: angry or heated dispute) · es rifirrafe (countable: angry or heated dispute) · bn বিবাদ (countable: angry or heated dispute) · az dava (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sk svár (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi tappelu (countable: angry or heated dispute) · enm noyse (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ru препира́тельство (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ur رار (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hu vita (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi jupakka (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · cmn 爭吵 /争吵 (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · ru спор (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi sanasota (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi sanasota (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · sh nȅsporazum (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh súkob (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it diverbio (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is rifrildi (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ajp طوشة (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pt altercação (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh су́коб (countable: angry or heated dispute) · uk сва́рка (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ar نِزَاع (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sv ordväxling (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi चपक़ुलश (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ur جھگڑا (countable: angry or heated dispute) · de Disput (countable: angry or heated dispute) · la altercātiō (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fr dispute (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mi waunga (countable: angry or heated dispute) · el διαπληκτισμός (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cy ffrwgwd (countable: angry or heated dispute) · syc ܚܪܒܐ (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it discussione (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mi kekeritanga (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it litigio (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mk пре́пирка (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi todistajan haastattelu (countable: act of posing questions to, and obtaining answers from, a witness in a court of law) · ru разбо́рка (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is bræta (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ru ссо́ра (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi विवाद (countable: angry or heated dispute) · syc ܩܪܒܐ (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi riita (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ota چكیش (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi riita (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · ota نزاع (countable: angry or heated dispute) · nb ordveksling (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cs váda (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ru ди́спут (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi नोक-झोंक (countable: angry or heated dispute) · la līs (countable: angry or heated dispute) · la iūrgium (countable: angry or heated dispute) · jam cass cass (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh спо̏р (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it alterco (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ta கலகம் (countable: angry or heated dispute) · es altercación (countable: angry or heated dispute) · hi बिबाद (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ur چَپْقُلَش (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cmn 爭吵 /争吵 (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fr empoignade (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ps مجادله (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mk кара́ница (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pl sprzeczka (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is rimma (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is orðahnippingar (countable: angry or heated dispute) · de Kontroverse (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi sanaharkka (countable: angry or heated dispute) · nb krangel (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ta தகராறு (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi tappelu (uncountable: angry or heated disputation) · kmr qerqeşe (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pl zwada (countable: angry or heated dispute) · grc ἀντίρρησις (countable: angry or heated dispute) · es alteración (countable: angry or heated dispute) · de Auseinandersetzung (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cy ffrae (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cmn 審判 /审判 (countable: act of posing questions to, and obtaining answers from, a witness in a court of law) · te కజ్జా (countable: angry or heated dispute) · de Streit (countable: angry or heated dispute) · da skænderi (countable: angry or heated dispute) · es altercado (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pl kłótnia (countable: angry or heated dispute) · de heftige Auseinandersetzung (countable: angry or heated dispute) · nl dispuut (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sv gräl (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ota پرخاش (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pt briga (countable: angry or heated dispute) · lad sayran (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ca altercat (countable: angry or heated dispute) · tl basag-ulo (countable: angry or heated dispute) · cs hádka (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh не̏споразум (countable: angry or heated dispute) · la rixa (countable: angry or heated dispute) · ru перебра́нка (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sk škriepka (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sh prèpīrka (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it disputa (countable: angry or heated dispute) · syc ܩܐܪܣܐ (countable: angry or heated dispute) · nl woordenwisseling (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it diatriba (countable: angry or heated dispute) · sk zvada (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mk спор (countable: angry or heated dispute) · it bisticciamento (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pt argumento (countable: angry or heated dispute) · nl schermutseling (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fr altercation (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pt polêmica (countable: angry or heated dispute) · mk распра́вија (countable: angry or heated dispute) · pl spór (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi kiista (countable: angry or heated dispute) · kmr cedel (countable: angry or heated dispute) · is orðasenna (countable: angry or heated dispute) · dlm aplich (countable: angry or heated dispute) · fi jupakka (countable: angry or heated dispute)