Bickerers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Engaging in petty, back-and-forth arguments over trivial matters can describe individuals who frequently argue or dispute each other's opinions
2. Those who often quarrel or dispute about insignificant issues may be referred to as people who bicker, reflecting a tendency towards disagreement
3. Individuals characterized by recurrent verbal disputes over minor details and inconsequential topics exemplify the behavior of bickering again and again

Etymology: The word is a plural, so it simply takes the plural ending of "bickerer," which is a person who bickers. "Bickerer" is formed from "bicker" with the suffix "-er," the same ending found in "baker" or "teacher," which marks someone who performs an action. The suffix has a long ancestry of its own: it passed through Old English "-ere" and Old French "-ier," from Latin "-arius," a suffix denoting a person connected with something. The verb "bicker" has a more obscure history. It descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning to attack or fight, and it reached Middle Dutch and Middle English in forms with the sense of quarreling or skirmishing. Its earlier, more combative flavor survives in its frequent use for petty squabbles rather than full-scale fighting, so the word's modern tone is a gentle softening of its older meaning.

Synonyms: quarrelers, arguers

Antonyms: reconcilers