contention

noun

con·ten·tion | \ kən-ˈten(t)-shən

Definition of contention

1 : a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument It is his contention that allowing a casino to be built would not be in the best interests of the city.

2 : an act or instance of contending He has taken himself out of contention for the directorship.

3 : rivalry, competition

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about contention

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Choose the Right Synonym for contention

discord, strife, conflict, contention, dissension, variance mean a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony. discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism. a political party long racked by discord strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved. during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires. the conflict of freedom and responsibility contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy. several points of contention about the new zoning law dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions. religious dissension threatened to split the colony variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest. cultural variances that work against a national identity

Examples of contention in a Sentence

Tiger Woods splashed his way into contention in the New Zealand Open … shooting a four under par to close within six strokes of the lead. — New York Times, 13 Jan. 2002 The issues behind the protest are the usual bones of collective-bargaining contention: pay increases, vacation time, union membership. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 17 & 24 June 2002 Science, and academic scholarship in general, the contention these days goes, is too subjective. Some even allege it's entirely subjective, as is, they say, history. — Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996 All quotes from QDB. That has been a source of contention for years. He is in contention for the Olympic medal.

Recent Examples on the Web

The kitchen remains something of a bone of contention. — J.s. Marcus, WSJ, "Reviving the Heart of Rome by Adding Nordic Style," 15 Jan. 2019 Various contenders have been floated and then taken out of contention over the past week — most notably Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) and former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ). — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "Trump names Mick Mulvaney acting White House chief of staff," 15 Dec. 2018 Maybe your meal, like celebrations after the 2016 election, will be shorter as a result of contention. — Linda Qiu, The Seattle Times, "A Fact-Checker’s Guide to Thanksgiving Politics," 21 Nov. 2018 His experience at the Scottish institution remains a point of contention. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "A Rare Look Inside Prince Charles's Surprisingly Lonely and Heartbreaking Childhood," 16 Aug. 2018 That forced him to pit again, dropping him out of contention after dominating the opening segment. — John Kekis, Fox News, "Chase Elliott gets first NASCAR Sprint Cup win at Watkins Glen," 6 Aug. 2018 An internal candidate, Luca Mignini, and another external candidate, Johnson & Johnson executive Jorge Mesquita, were also in contention, according to people familiar with the matter. — Cara Lombardo, WSJ, "Campbell Zeroes In on Ex-Pinnacle Foods Chief Mark Clouse for CEO Job," 27 Nov. 2018 The Latest on the British Open (all times local): 5:15 p.m. Tiger Woods has shot a 5-under 66 in the third round of the British Open and is in contention to win his first major in more than 10 years. — Fox News, "The Latest: Woods shoots 66, in contention at British Open," 21 July 2018 One of the major contentions of Snowden's critics in the national security world is that his leak and the earlier WikiLeaks documents dump facilitated by Chelsea Manning have inspired the host of leaks that followed. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "The Snowden Legacy, part one: What’s changed, really?," 21 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contention.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.