contention

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noun con·ten·tion \ kən-ˈten(t)-shən \

Definition of contention

1 :an act or instance of contending

He has taken himself out of contention for the directorship.

2 :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.

3 :rivalry, competition

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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 of contention from the Web

A primary point of contention is legislation the government aggressively pushed through to put the court system under the ruling party’s control.

— Washington Post, "EU, Germany criticize Poland in worsening rule of law spat," 29 Aug. 2017
Pyongyang apparently launched three short-range missiles (as opposed to the longer-range missiles, capable of potentially reaching the U.S., that have been a recent point of contention) and all three failed.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Commander in Chaos," 25 Aug. 2017
The defense has denied that contention, saying the sheriff was only doing legitimate campaign fundraising, and did not use the amount of money collected to determine anything with towing operations.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Buncich denies wielding influence in towing contracts," 21 Aug. 2017
More: Justin Thomas battles back into contention at U.S. Open For Thomas, that consistency has been a challenge in majors this year.

— brentley romine, The Courier-Journal, "Justin Thomas shakes off rain delay, in contention at PGA Championship," 11 Aug. 2017
Among the main points of contention is Article 8 of the UN peace deal, which puts the army under civil authority.

— gregory viscusi, Bloomberg.com, "Macron Takes Aim at Libya Standoff With Paris Talks," 24 July 2017
Those and other sanctions have been a sharp point of contention between the two countries for years, particularly after President Obama tightened the screws in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and intervention in Eastern Ukraine.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Trump’s Hold on the Republican Party Begins to Break," 24 July 2017
The territory has been a bone of contention ever since (see article).

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
And Britain is negotiating the terms of its exit with the EU—where the rights of British nationals living in the bloc and EU citizens living in Britain have become a major point of contention.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Politics and Privatization," 17 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of contention

Middle English contencioun, from Anglo-French cuntenciun, from Latin contention-, contentio, from contendere

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First Known Use: 14th century

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contention Synonyms

Synonyms

argument, assertion, thesis

Related Words

conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, speculation, surmise, theory; proposal, proposition; assumption, presupposition, supposition; position, stand; case, explanation, rationale, reason

Near Antonyms

concord, harmony, peace

Synonym Discussion of 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

CONTENTION Defined for English Language Learners

contention

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noun

Definition of contention for English Language Learners

: something (such as a belief, opinion, or idea) that is argued or stated
: anger and disagreement
: a situation in which you have a chance to win something that you are trying to win