disputation vs sparring

disputation and sparring both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
disputation	Yes	No	No	No
sparring	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, sparring is a hyponym of disputation; that is, sparring is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than disputation:

disputation: a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
sparring: an argument in which the participants are trying to gain some advantage

Other hyponyms of disputation include argle-bargle, argy-bargy, firestorm, polemic, fight.

disputation (noun)	sparring (noun)
the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote)	making the motions of attack and defense with the fists and arms; a part of training for a boxer
a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement	an argument in which the participants are trying to gain some advantage