contended

verb

past tense of contend
1
as in competed
to engage in a contest two traditional rivals contending for the championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contended Lopez cited confidentiality concerns and contended that the DA office’s pursuit of Cybergenetics could be a tactic to glean insight from the defense. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 July 2026 Some reports, meanwhile, have even contended that AI has had no substantive impact on jobs so far. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 15 July 2026 On the northern portion, the Assessor’s Office contended that a private lake was complete, and the Moyles had put in infrastructure improvements, such as a residential road, sidewalks and electrical boxes. — Idaho Statesman, 13 July 2026 But Mayo contended that the more important development this quarter might be happening away from Wall Street. — Hugh Son, CNBC, 13 July 2026 One $8-million contract to replace the concert hall’s floor went to a firm with no experience in concert halls, Whitehouse contended. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Responding to public criticism, Justice Samuel Alito contended that the court isn’t to blame for the rise in shadow docket cases. — Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 1 July 2026 Some contended James doesn’t think the Lakers have the same priorities to contend for an NBA title in the 2025-26 season. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Allen contended that the man was trying to catfish him by pretending to be multiple attractive women. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 29 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contended
  1. competed
  2. argued
  3. insisted
  4. fought
  5. reasoned
  6. claimed
  7. raced
  8. asserted
Verb
  • The actor competed in the Penn Relays in 1988 as part of a 4x800 relay team.
    — Eva Andersen, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • For sure, if the principles of capitalism were fully in effect, very high profit margins ought to be competed down over time by new and existing businesses.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 July 2026
Definition of competed
Verb
  • Some community groups also argued the TIF funds being dedicated to infrastructure surrounding the Fire stadium should be used for community needs instead.
    — Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Cooper acknowledged the improvement but argued that the statistics do not capture the larger concerns many Californians continue to have about crime, repeat offenders, and support for victims.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 13 July 2026
Definition of argued
Verb
  • When the players went for a walk around the pitch with their medals around their necks, Tuchel insisted that Steele go with them.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Odysseus insisted on hearing their song and was tied to the mast.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of insisted
Verb
  • The war’s new weapon What began as a ground war has evolved into a battle increasingly fought from the air.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • The king successfully fought a hundred men and emerged victorious, but not before killing Antinous in Sinon’s name.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of fought
Verb
  • Judge Eichenholtz also reasoned that Moody identified a contractual relationship.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 July 2026
  • Should the luminiferous ether exist, then scientists reasoned that as the Earth orbits the sun at around 66,000 miles per hour (106,216 kilometers per hour), our planet should be moving through the ether, which had been deemed to be stationary.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of reasoned
Verb
  • Iran state media claimed its forces had targeted US forces and facilities across Bahrain and Kuwait.
    — Monica Haider, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The 1951 Flood claimed lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and scattered one of Kansas City’s largest Hispanic communities.
    — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Definition of claimed
Verb
  • Norway’s elite 6-foot-5 goal scorer raced with some of the best in the battle for the Golden Boot in the tournament, given to the player with the most goals, and his performance in DFW put his name firmly on the world stage.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge in the penalty area.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Definition of raced
Verb
  • The palace asserted that there would be no photos released and no details of what was discussed.
    — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
  • In a Fox News op-ed published Monday, the hard-line conservative asserted that the upper chamber takes too many recesses and has too short of a workweek.
    — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 13 July 2026
Definition of asserted

Browse Nearby Words

contend
contended
contended (with)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contended. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on contended

Nglish: Translation of contended for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All