CONTENDER Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

contender

noun

kən-ˈten-dər

Definition of contender

as in candidate

one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award a strong contender for the mayoral position

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in competitor

one who strives for the same thing as another several contenders competing for the title of the city's best Italian restaurant

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 contender As Oscar contenders are revealed this fall, one of the increasingly important categories is Best International Feature, which went through a recent change. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026 The two-night premiere that kicked off on Tuesday and wrapped up on Wednesday saw surprising frontrunners emerge, technical difficulties threaten to mire the spectacle, and of course, a pair of promising contenders sent home. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026 The protection of Manning has been a huge improvement over 2025, when the Heisman contender spent the first half of the season on the run. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Related Stories For the first time, HSDFF will convene a Documentary Roundtable of leading contenders for the Academy Awards. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender

Noun

If the week 1 drubbing at LSU was a harbinger of doom for Dabo Swinney at Clemson, what does his stock as a coaching candidate look like?

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
The Republican National Committee announced on Saturday the full list of keynote speakers who will stump for Republican candidates at the midterm elections convention next week.

— Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of candidate

Noun

Those advantages can deliver real business value and can be extremely difficult for competitors to overcome.

— George Couris, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
The ability to evaluate a deal faster and more precisely than your competitors—without cutting corners—creates a compounding advantage.

— Alec Litowitz, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of competitor

Noun

Chuangsri won out of a field of 108 contestants in the pageant, which last year was held in India’s southern Hyderabad city.

— Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
The contestants will have to design a wedding dress that showcases their style, and the winning design will be produced and sold by David’s Bridal.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of contestant

Noun

Opinion polls have shown United Russia, a party backed by Putin, far ahead of its rivals, although the party's approval ratings have slumped to a four-year low amid a nationwide fuel crisis and Ukrainian drone strikes on delivery warehouses.

— Sam Meredith,Anniek Bao, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
While rivals like Hyundai utilize ultra-fast 800-V architectures that charge in under 18 minutes, VW remains tethered to a 29-minute peak.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of rival

Noun

In 1983, the 12m yacht Azzurra — flying the YCCS burgee — represented Italy for the first time in the long history of the America’s Cup, the oldest sports trophy in international sport, finishing third in the challenger series at its first attempt.

— Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Anta Kids, meanwhile, has become a formidable challenger, having crossed 10 billion yuan in annual gross merchandise volume by the end of 2024 and continuing to record high-single-digit offline growth into the first quarter of this year.

— Li Jun, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026