Vocabulary
Contentious
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Urdu meaning
متنازعہ، جھگڑالو
Example sentences (from Dawn)
Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.
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However, Tehran says it remains open to further negotiations regarding the nuclear issue.The restoration of free passage in the Strait of Hormuz was another contentious issue that prevented an agreement.
Dawn Editorials —
Back to the table?
— 2026-04-15
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Policy coherence must replace policy contradiction.The CCI, now equipped with a full-time secretariat, should proactively address contentious matters such as water apportionment, telemetry and the weighted average cost of gas.
Dawn Editorials —
Budget 2026-27 as a bridge
— 2026-02-28
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Then there is the contentious question of the International Stabilisation Force, which is supposed to be deployed soon.
Dawn Editorials —
Board of contention
— 2026-01-26
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This has been the case despite the Saarc Charter clearly stating that `bilateral and contentious issues shall be excluded`.At one time, hawks in Pakistan vetoed moves to improve ties with India.
Dawn Editorials —
Saarc at 40
— 2025-12-15
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Yet week two quickly turned contentious as key negotiations shifted into closed-door `shuttle diplomacy`, leaving Parties without access to evolving text and sidelining champions of ambition.
Dawn Editorials —
COP30 and beyond
— 2025-12-06
Synonyms
controversial, disputable, debatable, disputed, contended, open to question/debate
Curator example
“a contentious issue”
More vocabulary to explore
About this vocabulary section.
These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions,
Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive
so you can see tone and usage.
Common questions
- Do I need to sign up to use this vocabulary page?
- No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
- Where do the example sentences come from?
- When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
- How is this different from a dictionary?
- This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.
