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 Set in Queens in 1986, the family drama stars Teller (contending for Best Actor) as the hardworking, decent father of two boys. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2026 But this is Mahomes, Kelce, Jones and coach Andy Reid coming to town with three Super Bowls under their belt and a determination to return to contending form early this season after going 6-11 last year. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026 This year, with The Odyssey and Project Hail Mary representing the majority of Oscar-contending performances already in the mix, space is wide open for new contenders to catch fire during festival season and blaze all the way to the Oscars in March. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026 The Oscar-contending documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem, directed by David Greaves from footage shot by his late father, William Greaves, has earned the eighth annual Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026 Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey A pregnant Kaley Cuoco picks the perfect pink gown to showcase her baby bump alongside fiancé Tom Pelphrey, who is contending for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026 Not a contending roster by any means, but a worthy NBA League Pass team. — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Grossman said one employee got her charges dismissed after contending in a lawsuit that her 4th Amendment rights were violated. — Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Grossman said one employee got her charges dismissed after contending in a lawsuit that her Fourth Amendment rights were violated. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contending

Verb

In this final stretch, Ryan said, one of the biggest practical challenges has been competing with data centers for skilled union electricians, about 200 of whom are working on the site today.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Scroll for a full rundown of all the bears competing in this round.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of competing

Verb

Joshua Holian, an antitrust lawyer representing Paramount, sided with Blizzard by arguing that the consent decree validated Paramount’s commitment to healthy competition in Hollywood.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026
His lawyers are asking the judge to dismiss five of the charges against him, arguing that prosecutors have substantially rewritten those counts after the five-year statute of limitations expired.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of arguing

Verb

Different views on the topic Bianco’s legal team argued that the sheriff had a duty to investigate a complaint alleging discrepancies in the election and had acted lawfully after obtaining search warrants from a neutral magistrate.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
She’s accused by a creative agency alleging $1 million in unpaid fees.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of alleging

Verb

Organizations have compared benchmark scores, reasoning capabilities and response quality to determine which AI model is smartest.

— Samir Dutta, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Backwards reasoning like this reminds me of Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaign 70 years ago.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of reasoning

Verb

Last Monday, the three news outlets filed suit, claiming that the ban violated their First Amendment rights.

— Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
In fact, Crawford said, her organization has represented several asylum cases for LGBTQ Cameroonian nationals claiming persecution due to their sexuality.

— Mick Krever, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of claiming

Verb

Boutrous pushed back on the claim, asserting that the first mention of national security came only days after the ban was imposed.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
But that is different from reserving the right, in advance, to misbehave — or asserting that your brother-in-law was not actually forgiven.

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

Yigal Carmon, a conservative retired colonel in Israeli military intelligence and the founder of MEMRI, a research center that monitors media across the Muslim world, had spent years insisting that Qatar was a sponsor of terrorism.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
The alliance, which represents most of those agencies, has argued in recent years for a major adjustment in state compensation, insisting payments have lagged inflation for more than a decade, costing the industry more than $300 million annually.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of insisting

Verb

Smith accepted a deal from prosecutors in March, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 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