CONTENDING Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

contending

verb

present participle of contend

as in competing

to engage in a contest two traditional rivals contending for the championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in arguing

to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration contended that the senator's considerable experience made him the best candidate

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in alleging

to state as a fact usually forcefully contended that his opponent was wrong about practically everything

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 contending The options for contending teams looking to bolster their catching position on the trade market were already thin before Langeliers’ injury. — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 26 July 2026 But again, many contending teams are in desperate need of relief pitching. — Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026 The Philadelphia Phillies, currently contending for the NL East title, are making tough decisions within their farm system. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Games between elite teams are mostly 55%/45% or 60%/40% toss-ups, and contending programs like Texas or Georgia could rebound and win a title this year. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026 Beijing has so far avoided that framing, and is contending fiercely with Washington across the board. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026 Others disagreed with Matheson’s assertion, contending that the Coliseum sale’s complications simply reflect the troubled economics behind developing the kind of sports-and-entertainment multiplex that OAC envisions. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 13 July 2026 The Sparks’ ownership made a major shift in direction on Sunday, firing general manager Raegan Pebley amid a lackluster season that has the team just below the WNBA playoff cutoff line and far from the title-contending form Pebley promised. — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Prosecutors argued the trial judge should have first ordered a fitness assessment, contending language deprivation syndrome could amount to a mental disorder under Canada’s Criminal Code. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contending

Verb

And there’s a lot of competing priorities for folks right now.

— Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 24 July 2026
And the Ravens didn't need three guys competing for that back-of-the-roster spot.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of competing

Verb

Since then, she’s fought for a bigger slice of his fortune, arguing in multiple court cases that her father contributed to the company’s growth with an early investment – and that her payout should be based on the 2026 valuation of Chey’s SK Group.

— Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Black leaders have pushed back, arguing that moving South Carolina aside after just one cycle would diminish the power of Black voters in the Democratic Party.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026

Definition of arguing

Verb

European regulators have fined Google 890 million euros ($1 billion), alleging the company gives preferential treatment to its own services.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 24 July 2026
Mora filed a cross-complaint against Giumarra alleging he was deceived by the company and its representatives into signing a contract that made false claims about the fruit, including that it was patented by Giumarra.

— Robert Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of alleging

Verb

Every major announcement has been measured in number of parameters, benchmark scores, reasoning capabilities, training and squeezing as much performance as possible while driving costs down.

— Francis Sideco, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
The update to Muse Spark beats out Google’s latest release of Gemini in benchmarks measuring coding and reasoning capabilities, according to the tech giant.

— Ben Weiss, Fortune, 9 July 2026

Definition of reasoning

Verb

The Pentagon is not revealing its equipment losses, but Tehran is claiming large numbers of US Black Hawk helicopters destroyed and base infrastructure like aircraft hangars heavily damaged in its days of attacks.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
The Senate argues that the blacklist itself was not challenged by the EU Commission, claiming that only provisions giving too much power to the French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication are problematic.

— Samuel Petrequin, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Definition of claiming

Verb

Meanwhile, franchise pitching legend Dave Stieb has reignited a decades-old debate, asserting that his Hall of Fame snub and lack of Cy Young awards stem from playing in Canada.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
The defense teams challenged those allegations by asserting that Haitian police and presidential-security details killed Moïse before the Colombian hit squad arrived at his hillside home in the middle of the night.

— Jay Weaver July 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

During the rehearsal, Pritchard was sometimes brusque with Hamilton, correcting her form with his feet and insisting on certain steps.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
Iran has attacked more than 30 ships in the Strait of Hormuz in the last three months, Centcom said, while also insisting that the waterway was open for business.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 22 July 2026

Definition of insisting

Verb

Vance Boelter, the man charged with killing a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband last year, was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years after pleading guilty last month.

— Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026
Vance Boelter was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years after pleading guilty to stalking and shooting Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota last year.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 23 July 2026