Difference between Contentious and Combative

CONTENTIOUS vs COMBATIVE: ADJECTIVE

Inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits
Having or showing a ready disposition to fight
Given to contention; quarrelsome. : argumentative.
Involving or causing contention; controversial.
Fond of contention; given to angry debate; provoking dispute or contention; quarrelsome.
Relating to contention or strife; involving or characterized by contention.
Involving or likely to cause controversy
Jurisdiction over matters in controversy between parties, in contradistinction to voluntary jurisdiction, or that exercised upon matters not opposed or controverted.
Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.
Contested; litigated; litigious; having power to decide controversy.

Having or showing a ready disposition to fight
Striving to overcome in argument
Eager or disposed to fight. : belligerent.
Disposed to engage in combat; pugnacious.
Inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits

Apt to contend; given to angry debate; quarrelsome; perverse; litigious.
Relating to or characterized by contention or strife; involving contention or debate.
In law, relating to causes between contending parties.

Disposed to combat; pugnacious; showing a disposition to fight, contend, or oppose.

Controversy, Problematic, Dispute, Disputes, Thorny, Divisive, Disputative, Battleful, Aggressive, Bellicose, Argumentative, Litigious, Disputatious, Combative, Controversial

Argumentative, Belligerent, Pugnacious, Confrontational, Militant, Offensive, Scrappy, Battleful, Agonistical, Competitory, Competitive, Agonistic, Aggressive, Bellicose, Contentious

Controversy, Problematic, Dispute, Disputes, Thorny, Divisive, Disputative, Battleful, Aggressive, Bellicose, Argumentative, Litigious, Disputatious, Combative, Controversial

Argumentative, Belligerent, Pugnacious, Confrontational, Militant, Offensive, Scrappy, Competitory, Battleful, Agonistical, Competitive, Agonistic, Aggressive, Bellicose, Contentious

However, not every divorce and separation is contentious.
When is a contentious divorce declared in China?
Politics is too contentious: it might involve Republicans.
Abraham, was very contentious always willing to please.
The issue of model calibration can be contentious.
Distinction awards have been contentious since their introduction.
It remains a contentious and culturally significant issue.
Noise in the neighbourhood is a contentious issue.
If the elders are contentious, the church will be contentious.
Contentious Issues Panels decide the departmental strategy for handling major contentious issues.

This time, he was also belligerent, profane, and combative.
He became combative and tried to fight with police.
Relapse plank enrichments combative metastability debugging soaker smarten labourers.
He can be combative without reason, it seems.
They were combative and rude at every point.
Say anything without sounding like a combative grump.
During the arrest, he was combative and aggressive.
Combative toward their caregivers, family members or friends.
Our exchanges also cease to combative for the WILL and the Ego is dying and just too feeble for such combative encounters.
I was also surprised at how non-combative he was, even though we were ready for a combative Obama.