as in dispute
variance of opinion on a matter
the statement is certainly open to contestation among reasonable people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 contestation
What supplies all these events with a sense of approaching a precipice is the open contestation between pro- and anti-democratic forces, happening both here and abroad, in view of each other.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
That makes some of these contestations existential, particularly for smaller combatants.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Indeed, the existence of avenues for contestation is in the very nature of competitive authoritarianism.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025
The study spatializes the socio-cultural haunting of Indigenous and colonial histories and demonstrates how public spaces can be sites of democratic contestation and negotiation.
—JSTOR Daily, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contestation
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
That makes some of these contestations existential, particularly for smaller combatants.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Indeed, the existence of avenues for contestation is in the very nature of competitive authoritarianism.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025
The study spatializes the socio-cultural haunting of Indigenous and colonial histories and demonstrates how public spaces can be sites of democratic contestation and negotiation.
—JSTOR Daily, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contestation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contestation
Noun
-
There are also disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes in the north-central and northwestern part of the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Federal Trade Commission and StubHub this week settled a dispute over allegations that StubHub concealed the actual, total prices of tickets over a three-day period in May 2025.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The massive road project, decades in planning, has been enveloped in controversy even before getting underway.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
In August 2022, 10 miners died when the El Pinabete coal mine in Coahuila flooded — a disaster that sparked intense controversy by revealing how many Mexican laborers work without essential safety protections or official supervision.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This did not, however, mark the end of disputation concerning the Northwest Angle.—
Scott Spires,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
-
According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
His government promulgated a new constitution after just nine days of debate in the National Assembly.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
State funding levels, including Proposition 98 allocations, have also factored into the debate, with union leaders arguing revenue projections are stronger than the district has indicated.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ongoing military activity in the Middle East and disagreements over Iran’s control of key shipping routes have left the diplomatic effort vulnerable to collapse before the talks even begin.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The disagreement has also offered a preview of politics on the city’s newest Democratic body.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contestation. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
