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

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Recent Examples of contender After falling short in the playoffs last season, the Rams are prime contenders to come out of the NFC in 2026. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026 Below, Variety breaks down the contenders in a few major categories. — Emily Longeretta, Variety, 24 July 2026 Miami and Golden State, the two next-closest contenders, have both cratered to under 1%. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 July 2026 Walker versus Petersen lands on the prelims, but the rest of that group anchors a UFC Abu Dhabi main card built on contenders rather than big names. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for contender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender

Noun

Kyle Clark, an anchorman on Denver’s 9News, asked the candidate in a persistent and revealing sit-down interview.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
That might not be enough, however, to sway right-leaning independent voters such as Ernie Barten, 75, of Phoenix, who planned to support first-time candidate Neely in the GOP primary.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 July 2026

Definition of candidate

Noun

There was no other contestant other than Burnham, who comfortably surpassed that threshold.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
After her win, BeBe remained a television personality, appearing on several episodes of RuPaul’s Drag U and as a surprise contestant on season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2018.

— Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Definition of contestant

Noun

That theme stayed true Thursday evening, with the American League Central rivals trading leads until the Tigers (49-54) forged ahead and beat the Royals 4-3 in a series opener at Comerica Park.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Two potential rivals for selection in Meslier and Karl Darlow have already left the club this summer, while Perri finished last season as second choice.

— Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of rival

Noun

Ethan O’Connor seems well positioned for one of those jobs, and the prime challengers for the other are Damari Brown (whose availability is always a question because of the troublesome foot issue) and impressive second-year player Ja’boree Antoine.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026
His leading challenger is Daniel Keenan, a construction-company founder and a former forklift operator.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 July 2026