1
2
as in argued
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
contended that the senator's considerable experience made him the best candidate
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in insisted
to state as a fact usually forcefully
contended that his opponent was wrong about practically everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contended
But Boyd, the sheriff’s office spokesperson, contended at the time that when calculated by the total number of people booked in annually, the county’s number is lower than the national rate.
—
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
The former general, McGinn, contended that the simplest solution to the immediate problem is for Congress to pass a continuing resolution and negotiate a full-year defense spending bill.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Supporting them in the Supreme Court Wednesday, Deputy Solicitor General Hashim Mooppan contended that the Black voters should not have gotten a second majority-minority district.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
The defense attorney contended that his client wouldn’t have had enough time to perform the procedure after arriving at the woman’s house, and accused investigators of failing to adequately investigate after deciding that his client was the only suspect in the woman’s death.
—Nbc Los Angeles, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
The letter writers contended that such carnage on screens negatively influenced vulnerable children.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO) has long contended that some employers exploit H-1B visas to cut costs.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Project Veritas, a conservative group that films undercover videos to embarrass mainstream media and liberal organizations, contended that lower courts used too lenient a constitutional test in upholding the law.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
He was never charged with any wrongdoing, Mamdani and other opponents have contended that Cuomo is still unfit to serve in office.
—ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
The former general, McGinn, contended that the simplest solution to the immediate problem is for Congress to pass a continuing resolution and negotiate a full-year defense spending bill.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Supporting them in the Supreme Court Wednesday, Deputy Solicitor General Hashim Mooppan contended that the Black voters should not have gotten a second majority-minority district.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
The defense attorney contended that his client wouldn’t have had enough time to perform the procedure after arriving at the woman’s house, and accused investigators of failing to adequately investigate after deciding that his client was the only suspect in the woman’s death.
—Nbc Los Angeles, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
The letter writers contended that such carnage on screens negatively influenced vulnerable children.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO) has long contended that some employers exploit H-1B visas to cut costs.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Project Veritas, a conservative group that films undercover videos to embarrass mainstream media and liberal organizations, contended that lower courts used too lenient a constitutional test in upholding the law.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
He was never charged with any wrongdoing, Mamdani and other opponents have contended that Cuomo is still unfit to serve in office.
—ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contended
Verb
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The West Highland white terrier, who died in July just shy of turning 16, competed in dog shows and at one point was ranked as the top female Westie in the country.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Among themselves, Russian women competed fiercely for male commitment—a commodity even rarer than the actual men.—
Julia Ioffe,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The government’s lawyers argued the ruling effectively guts a statute aimed at reducing gun violence by preventing unlawful drug users from wielding firearms.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
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First, despite tabloid headlines about Leto, such noise doesn’t factor into moviegoers’ decisions to buy or not buy a ticket; it could be argued most were not even in the know of the June Air Mail exposé on his alleged behavior.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Still, the bride-to-be insisted that her wedding is about her and her fiancé, not her sister’s relationship drama.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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Daniels insisted the impact of the shutdown on air traffic controllers was not just insular and would continue to impact the aviation sector and broader American economy.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cordelia Tuan, 32, of Detroit, who spoke outside of the Central Station, also raised concern with the shutdown and the ending of Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies being fought over amid it.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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The film shares the experiences, memories, and post-traumatic stress of women warriors who fought in Gaza and Lebanon.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If Newman couldn’t have killed Scott, the police reasoned, perhaps his brother had.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Gooding reasoned that the law provides an answer to this twist.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As for the rest, Derby rallied to finish a remarkable third (eventually losing to Queens Park Rangers in the play-off final), while Middlesbrough (12th), Bolton (14th) and Wednesday (16th) claimed a respectable mid-table berth.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Accompanied by her young son Israel, Owens went across the street to Lorincz's residence that evening to retrieve a tablet Israel claimed that Lorincz, who'd repeatedly hassled and called the police on the neighborhood children for years, had stolen from him.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Gators raced out to a 13-7 lead against the Bulldogs after two quarters, but fans were not pacified by the product on the field.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Rudy and Amanda raced to Ocean Reef, where Rudy was told Katy was being transported.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As both Hernández and Freeman asserted, Ohtani has quite the gap between him and a mortal man, but there are four more wins the Dodgers need to earn before the storybook season can be complete.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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In that testimony, Baccarelli asserted that taking the drug during pregnancy was not just linked to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism but probably caused them.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contended. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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