argue, quarrel, wrangle, squabble, bicker
These verbs denote verbal exchange expressing conflict. To argue is to present reasons or facts in order to persuade someone of something: “I am not arguing with you—I am telling you” (James McNeill Whistler).
Quarrel stresses hostility: The children quarreled over whose turn it was to wash the dishes. Wrangle refers to loud, contentious argument: “audiences . . . who can be overheard wrangling about film facts in restaurants and coffee houses” (Sheila Benson).
Squabble suggests petty or trivial argument: “The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin . . . would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities” (Theodore Roosevelt).
Bicker connotes sharp, persistent, bad-tempered exchange: The senators bickered about the President's tax proposal for weeks. |
