litigious

adjective

li·​ti·​gious lə-ˈti-jəs How to pronounce litigious (audio)
li-
1
a
: disputatious, contentious
in a litigious mood
b
: prone to engage in lawsuits
an increasingly litigious society
2
: subject to litigation
not known to be litigious when purchasedJames Muirhead
3
: of, relating to, or marked by litigation
a litigious situation
litigiously adverb
litigiousness noun

Examples of litigious in a Sentence

a very litigious group of people this litigious age in which we live
Recent Examples on the Web Taken in total, the incidents paint Myers as a confrontational and litigious man who sometimes has been praised for his aggressive style of journalism, though that same attribute has often landed him in contentious legal run-ins that have dragged on for years. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024 Kevin Hart is getting litigious after former assistant Miesha Shakes did a tell-all interview about him with YouTube host Tasha K. Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023 The expiration of that agreement in 1987 marked a dramatic and litigious turning point in NFL labor relations. Chris Deubert, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Legal officers without full visibility into a company’s DEI efforts maintain a blind spot that could result in a litigious outcome, especially in states that have passed stronger anti-DEI laws, according to Littler. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Startups like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Stability AI are looking into a steadily widening maw of legal action right now, some of it from experienced and litigious organizations with sometimes decades of copyright battles under their belts. Wes Davis, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 Aaron Rodgers' latest musings drew some sharp (and potentially litigious?) pushback from late night television host Jimmy Kimmel. Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 For decades, Disney has been notoriously litigious in policing the usage of its intellectual property, including of Mickey Mouse. Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024 No idea why the legendarily litigious Nintendo would have an issue with that. David Meyer, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litigious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin litigiosus, from litigium dispute, from litigare

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of litigious was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near litigious

Cite this Entry

“Litigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigious. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

litigious

adjective
li·​ti·​gious li-ˈti-jəs How to pronounce litigious (audio)
1
: prone to engage in lawsuits or legal maneuvers especially to an excessive degree
a litigious pro se prisoner … filed fifty-one casesIn re Oliver, 682 F.2d 443 (1982)
2
: subject to litigation
acquired only a possible litigious claimWells v. Joseph, 95 So. 2d 843 (1957)
3
: of, relating to, or marked by litigation
litigiously adverb
litigiousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on litigious

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