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 Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is back after a strong freshman season and provides hope that the Bears can be a contender again soon. — CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Original head coach Phil Bravo built the Coyotes into a contender at the turn of the century, taking a school that had just opened its doors with underclassmen in 1998 and quickly establishing Monarch as a football force. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2026 If the offense is even average, the Texans are bona fide Super Bowl contenders. — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Washington looked like one of the NFL’s up-and-coming contenders during a breakout 2024 — but that didn’t materialize last season amid injuries, inconsistency by quarterback Jayden Daniels and one of the league’s worst defenses. — Nbc Sports, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender

Noun

But that's part of Christina Bohannan's long learning curve as a Democratic candidate for Congress.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Offensive lineman Austen Pleasants, who appears to be the latest candidate in the battle to start at left guard, was also absent after suffering a leg injury in Thursday’s game.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of candidate

Noun

But Patel observed that many of the robotic competitors were still being teleoperated by human operators who directly controlled the robots’ actions.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2026
That is 35 films the two studios are already planning as independent competitors before any merger occurs.

— Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of competitor

Noun

Instead, contestants compete for crowd reaction and are rewarded with attention and, in some cases, small cash prizes.

— Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
The rules of Stein Hoist are typically that the arm stays fully extended, the contestant cannot switch hands, and any spillage is grounds for immediate disqualification.

— Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of contestant

Noun

Games against the division rival Sabres and Canadiens also will be televised nationally.

— Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Anthropic’s primary tech industry rival, ChatGPT maker OpenAI, made its own deal to work with the Pentagon just hours after the government punished Anthropic for its stance.

— Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of rival

Noun

College sports’ current arms race of money, along with unrestricted transfers, is threatening to shut out rising challengers like UConn football, with rich teams now dangling lucrative offers and raiding talent like never before.

— U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
David Roth, the Democratic candidate for Risch’s seat, dropped out of the race in July, leaving Achilles as Risch’s primary challenger.

— Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 24 Aug. 2026