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 Statewide Democratic contenders delivered fiery appeals, recording artist Janelle Monáe brought a bass-thumping performance and the Clark Atlanta University marching band nearly brought down the house. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Lamont and Republican gubernatorial contender Ryan Fazio, both from the affluent Fairfield County suburb of Greenwich, share the conviction that taxing the rich would spark an exodus of wealthy households from Connecticut. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026 The Panthers enter Saturday as double-digit underdogs against a 6-1 Liberty team that sits among the conference’s top contenders. — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 Todd Golden had already retained enough talent for his Florida team to be a contender for its second national championship in three years. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender

Noun

Their loss has become the Chiefs’ gain, as Walker, for now, looks like a possible MVP candidate in Kansas City.

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
Sanders, who spoke alongside el Sayed in Grand Rapids, said Trump’s attacks on the Democratic candidate were rooted in Islamophobia because Republicans have little to say about the issues affecting working families.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of candidate

Noun

Anthropic’s future — and that of its competitors — relies heavily on the availability of computing components to train its models and power AI chatbots and agents.

— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2026
On a per-range basis, a customer will be able to buy a fourth-gen GM EV for less money than a competitor’s profitable model without relying on subsidies.

— Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of competitor

Noun

There’s something so unsettling about a game show where the contestants’ well-being is not considered, and The Tonight Show leaned into that uncanniness to great effect.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Other celebs to have been announced include Celebrity Traitors contestant Joe Lycett and the Sugababes.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of contestant

Noun

Netanyahu's main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, said Likud was trying to delegitimize the results.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
An executive for an NBA team said rivals were quickly monitoring whether the Thunder’s position would change in light of how much their rotation had been depleted only a week into the season.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of rival

Noun

Adding to the uncertainty, Israel's election appeared headed for a political stalemate, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, securing a clear path to a governing majority.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
Netanyahu’s main challenger, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, opposes Palestinian statehood and has pledged to destroy Hamas’ military wing.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026