altercate
verb
al·ter·cate ˈȯl-tər-ˌkāt 
altercated; altercating
intransitive verb
: to dispute angrily or noisily : wrangle
Synonyms
- argue
- argufy
- bicker
- brabble
- brawl
- controvert
- dispute
- fall out
- fight
- hassle
- jar
- quarrel
- quibble
- row
- scrap
- spat
- squabble
- tiff
- wrangle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
this discussion is so silly we might as well altercate on how many angels can dance on the point of a needle
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin altercātus, past participle of altercārī, altercāre "to dispute vehemently, wrangle," derivative of alter "second, another" — more at alter
Note: The formation of altercārī is unclear. Ernout and Meillet (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine, Paris, 1959/1985) assume that it is based on *altercus, an unattested variant of alternus "occurring in alternation" (see alternate entry 1). Leumann (Lateinische Laut- und Formenlehre, Munich, 1977) proposes syncope from *altericāre, with the suffix perhaps after duplicāre "to double" (see duplicate entry 1).
First Known Use
1530, in the meaning defined above
altercating
verb
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily this discussion is so silly we might as well altercate on how many angels can dance on the point of a needle Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bickering
- fighting
- arguing
- quarreling
- tiffing
- clashing
- falling out
- argufying
- locking horns
- brabbling
- butting heads
- brawling
- wrangling
- bandying words
- squabbling
- spatting
- quarrelling
- controverting
- disputing
- debating
- discussing
- scrapping
- jarring
- mixing it up
- rowing
- quibbling
- hassling
- challenging
- contesting
- contending
- daring
- tangling
- protesting
- nitpicking
- defying
- kicking
- objecting
- fussing
- caviling
- considering
- cavilling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- getting along
- coexisting
- accepting
- agreeing
- consenting
- concurring
- assenting