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 In December 2021, however, the DOL under the Biden administration issued a supplemental statement, contending that most plan fiduciaries were not suited to evaluate alternative investments, given their complexity and high risk. — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026 But if Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Spain at Audi Field was any indication, the Americans still have a ways to go before contending for their fifth World Cup title. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026 Manufacturers in Bangladesh have been calling for a greater say in how the system operates, contending that the present RSC structure is slowing down remediation and increasing costs. — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Bailey’s team initially tried knocking Corbett out of the race, with Bailey’s running mate, Aaron Del Mar, co-filing an objection contending his onetime political ally hadn’t collected the 25,000 valid voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 Through the season’s first two weeks, any thoughts of the Falcons contending for a playoff spot appeared delusional and all conversations appeared moot. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Mancuso filed a $45 million breach-of-contract suit, contending that he’d been fired, and later settled for as much as $20 million. — Richard Natale, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 The win brings Houston to 1-1 in conference play and keeps their hopes of contending in the Big 12 alive. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 General manager Jon Horst and coach Taylor Jenkins emphasized that the Bucks are not rebuilding but rather building toward their next contending team. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contending

Verb

This means, according to the team, that only about 2% of the electrical charge was lost to competing reactions.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
The report singles out Japan, women’s competitions and homegrown stars as the areas most likely to draw competing bids.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of competing

Verb

When Albin returned to the question of which country posed the greater threat to American interests, el Sayed again declined to choose between them, arguing that both had demonstrated the capacity to cause harm.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Claims of extensive cooperation Before sentencing, Wandner urged Altman to impose a sentence below the advisory guidelines, arguing that his client’s assistance to investigators had been unusually valuable.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of arguing

Verb

Vaccaro, who filed for divorce, is also suing Hill, 32, alleging at least eight domestic violence incidents.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
OpenAI has pushed back against wrongful death and product liability lawsuits, alleging user misuse and violation of usage policies.

— Laura Reiley, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of alleging

Verb

Republicans saw all this coming from a mile away, of course, spending huge sums to help Cornyn defeat Paxton in the primary, reasoning that the general election would be a relative layup for Cornyn.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Contrived or not, the models appeared to be reasoning about their own situations— forming plans, weighing consequences, anticipating countermoves.

— Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of reasoning

Verb

But anonymous Telegram channels claiming to be fact-checking organizations gained popularity and spread the false narrative there.

— RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Trans-exclusionary feminists like Julie Bindel or Kathleen Stock, and for that matter Davidson and Craven, enjoy regular access to the national media to delegitimize trans identity while claiming transgender people undermine women’s voices.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of claiming

Verb

Trump is accustomed to asserting the primacy of force over law and clearly anticipates no punishment for doing so in front of a body dedicated to saving humanity from the scourge of war.

— Anjali Dayal, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors describe the drug trafficking and torture conspiracies as interconnected, asserting that proceeds from corruption and narcotics trafficking helped Maduro and Flores maintain the loyalty of officials who enforced their rule.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

Accoridng to People, the King is insisting that his private funds not be used in Andrew’s legal dispute with the police.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026
They were thoroughly dominated by Chicago in a 23-12 loss on Sunday, a performance that left fans increasingly frustrated and the Jets insisting the franchise's past failures weren't seeping into the locker room.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of insisting

Verb

Mike Smith, the first person to face federal charges tied to music streaming fraud, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Sanderson was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty in Queens Criminal Court Thursday, records show.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Sep. 2026