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

Relevance

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 As the trade deadline approaches, though, contending teams will surely be calling the Red Sox about Chapman. — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Meanwhile, James floated the idea publicly about ending his career in Cleveland and publicly praised the LA Rams for dealing draft picks to ensure a Super Bowl-contending team. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Coastal Commission staff objected to city proposals to more aggressively shorten hours at many of the 35 affected lots, contending that would restrict coastal access too much. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2026 Despite having started second and third with hopes of contending for victory, both lost ground as the race wore on; Hamilton finished fifth and Leclerc eighth. — Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 28 June 2026 Critics also have challenged the report’s characterization of cases involving women, contending these were consensual affairs that were sinful but not abusive. — ABC News, 25 June 2026 In the special, Arcuri tackles topics like marital pranks and urinal mind games while contending, on the more serious side, with his wife Katie Thurston’s cancer journey. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 June 2026 The company hopes the effort allows for more large-scale audiobook productions to emerge, contending that AI allows for more immersive audio experiences that traditional publishers would find too expensive. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 23 June 2026 But now that the Sox are contending, and starting a big series Monday against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field, his in-game strategy will no doubt get more scrutiny. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contending

Verb

Adidas reportedly spent $67 million on its hero film, Backyard Legends, while Nike also splashed heavily on talent — Kim Kardashian, Kylian Mbappé, Central Cee, and LeBron James, among others — for its competing short, Rip the Script.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 16 July 2026
Microsoft tied itself tightly to OpenAI through a series of investments, but the two companies drifted and became competing with each other after the abrupt 2023 ousting and reinstatement of OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, with little notice to Nadella.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 16 July 2026

Definition of competing

Verb

Earlier on Thursday, Paramount filed its opposition, arguing that the states are unlikely to prevail on their case and should not be granted a restraining order.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 July 2026
In 2013, the Surfrider Foundation sued Khosla’s LLCs, arguing that the Coastal Act required them to obtain a permit before restricting public access to the beach.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 July 2026

Definition of arguing

Verb

Van Brunt said inspection reports by a state attorney are crucial in lawsuits alleging constitutional violations.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
Taco Bell has been sued at least three times in federal court this week, with plaintiffs alleging negligence, breach of warranty and violations of deceptive trade practices law for allegedly selling contaminated lettuce.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of alleging

Verb

The second is reasoning intelligence, the layer that looks at a task, breaks it into steps and figures out how to do it, including things like making a judgement call on whether an object will be heavy or light.

— John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Vitello seemed to understand Devers’ reasoning for wanting to stay in the game but also knew that Devers was battling some leg soreness.

— Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026

Definition of reasoning

Verb

That came in response to growing protests by anti-migrant groups claiming, without evidence, that immigrants were contributing to South Africa’s high unemployment rate and problems with crime.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Across social media, there are videos of people claiming to have manifested everything, even their soulmate or dream home.

— Daisy Schofield, Allure, 13 July 2026

Definition of claiming

Verb

Before Sajet stepped down, the Smithsonian released a statement asserting that only its secretary and board can make such decisions, not the president.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 July 2026
The next issue on appeal was whether Alston and Chee should have been awarded their attorney fees incurred in asserting their HUPEPA special motion.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

Trump suggested Newsom should be arrested over his handling of the unrest, insisting the National Guard was needed.

— Tiago Ventura, Time, 14 July 2026
Daley agreed to speak with detectives after his DNA was collected and denied the allegations while insisting his DNA would not be found on the child.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Definition of insisting

Verb

Singh, who was 21 at the time of the crash, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in June to three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, court records show.

— Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Izabel Reed, also of Roeland Park, was sentenced to 25 years in prison April 1 after previously pleading no contest to two counts of distribution of drugs causing death.

— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026