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Angela
In this sentence — ‘That’s because they quarreled’ — the word quarreled is used in a book written in 1913. My question is: Can this word still be used nowadays?
Aug 9, 2025 12:40 PM
Answers · 5
1
It can still be used. But it's much rarer than 'argued' (same meaning) or 'fought' (broader meaning).
Aug 9, 2025 12:54 PM
Quarrel is less common nowadays, but it is still used.
Sep 1, 2025 5:25 PM
According to the British National Corpus, the word "quarrel" is the 10,248th most common word where as "argue" is 2363rd. In short, it is much more common.
Besides that, "argue" is more rational, reasoned (in theory) while "quarrel" is more emotionally charged.
Aug 31, 2025 7:40 PM
"Quarreled" is not used in conversational English. You better use argue. However, you might use it in written, like in a narrative or a descriptive essay. It will sound kind of odd if you used it in conversation.
Aug 9, 2025 1:44 PM
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Angela
Language Skills
English, Russian
Learning Language
English
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