Synonyms

bone of contention

American

noun

a subject, cause, or focal point of a dispute.

The terms of the old man's will were a bone of contention to his survivors.

bone of contention British

noun

the grounds or subject of a dispute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bone of contention Idioms

Main issue of a disagreement; something to quarrel about. For example, Grandfather's will was a bone of contention for the whole family. This expression alludes to two dogs fighting (contending) over a single bone. In slightly different guise, bone of dissension, it was used figuratively in the 16th century and took its present form in the early 1700s.

Etymology

Origin of bone of contention

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The other bone of contention, India’s soaring purchases of discounted Russian oil, may resolve itself organically, says Amitendu Palit, senior research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore.

From Barron's

The weakness has been a major bone of contention in trade relations with the U.S.

From MarketWatch

In Sudan, another bone of contention between the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and the United States handed a new ceasefire proposal to Sudan's army, a government source told AFP this week.

From Barron's

The murky value of Warner’s cable channel portfolio has become a bone of contention in the company’s sale.

From Los Angeles Times

This has been a bone of contention with me and is an immediate turn-off.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023