If someone is quarrelsome, they start fights with words. They pick at people, they snap, they turn small things into arguments. It is not one big fight; it is a habit. You can say it about a person, and sometimes about a mood that keeps breaking into rows. It is a little old-fashioned and a little judging — teachers, parents, and books use it more than teenagers among themselves. It is not as strong as violent: the quarrels are usually talking, not hitting.