contretemps

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.

These two ladies seem far too alike not to arrive at a contretemps, which they quickly do.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

However, as has been seen in recent years, the inherent clash of personalities there does break out into the open sometimes, especially when they have an on-track contretemps.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2024

Aside from one episode in which he threw a rubber chicken at a persistent questioner, he coolly conveyed at press briefings the sensitivity of the diplomatic contretemps.

From New York Times • May 12, 2023

“That’s a no-win argument for me,” said Wolff—and for a long time this afternoon, it looked like this entertaining contretemps would be the most dramatic thing to happen inside Judge Davis’ courtroom today.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2023

His specific reference was to a contretemps in August 1943 over Rossi Lomanitz, a twenty-one-year-old Rad Lab physicist who was valued as a protege by both Lawrence and Oppenheimer.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik