CONTENDERS Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

contenders

noun

plural of contender

as in candidates

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 competitors

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

noncompetitors

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 contenders Other potential 2028 contenders are also beginning to stake out their positions on AI. —

Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 26 June 2026 Several Olympic medal contenders surprisingly exited early, adding pressure for future events. —

Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Matthew Brewer, previously the CHA’s interim CEO and board chair, declared his candidacy in the 2027 mayoral race, the latest addition to a widening pool of contenders. —

Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 See IndieWire’s full list of 2026 Emmy predictions, complete with frontrunners, contenders, and long shots on our website. —

Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 25 June 2026 Other top contenders include victory in World War II and the moon landing. —

Kaylah Jackson, NBC news, 25 June 2026 During the primary the two contenders agreed on most issues, but Valdez argued throughout the campaign that Reynoso wasn't outspoken enough. —

Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 June 2026 Looking beyond the midterms to 2028, Gallego fielded a question about potential GOP presidential contenders. —

Anne Bryson, CBS News, 24 June 2026 The final contenders include Norway’s AF Gruppen, France’s Eiffage Génie Civil, and a joint venture between Sweden’s Skanska and Norway’s Vassbakk & Stol. —

Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders

Noun

There were 13,350 ballots cast in the USC voting, and two candidates received at least 75% of the vote.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Rather than replacing traditional physics calculations, the machine learning system acts as a filter, allowing researchers to focus computational resources on the most promising candidates.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

Definition of candidates

Noun

With ruthless competitors who will stop at nothing to dethrone and destroy them, the Whitlocks are a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction – and the old king is fighting to hold onto the crown.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 June 2026
Amazon is currently leading the market in consumer trust, with 30 percent of shoppers favoring its AI shopping assistants over competitors such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Walmart.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 June 2026

Definition of competitors

Noun

Last year, contestants Cierra Ortega and Yulissa Escobar were dismissed from the show for their use of racist slurs.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
In last year’s Season 7, two contestants, Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega, were also caught using racial slurs and had to exit the Villa.

— Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 June 2026

Definition of contestants

Noun

The club is one year into PSG Labs, 15 years into the broader brand project, and still operating in a country where broadcast television revenue—the financial backbone of English and Spanish football—is dramatically lower than its rivals.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 June 2026
Targeting political rivals The Justice Department’s role in the IRS lawsuit is one example of how Trump has decreed that executive branch employees should act as agents of his will.

— Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026