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View synonyms for

contention

[ kuhn-ten-shuhn ]

noun

  1. a struggling together in opposition; strife.

    Synonyms: ,

  2. a striving in rivalry; competition; contest.
  3. strife in debate; dispute; controversy.

    Synonyms: , , ,

    Antonyms:

  4. a point contended for or affirmed in controversy.


contention

/ əˈɛʃə /

noun

  1. a struggling between opponents; competition
  2. dispute in an argument (esp in the phrase bone of contention )
  3. a point asserted in argument
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • Dz·ٱtDz· adjective
  • ԴDzcDz·ٱtDz noun
  • cDz·ٱtDz noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of contention1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin DzԳٱԳپō-, stem of DzԳٱԳپō; from content(us) “competed, striven” (past participle of contendere “to compete, strive, draw tight”; contend ) + -ion
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Word History and Origins

Origin of contention1

C14: from Latin DzԳٱԳپō exertion, from contendere to contend
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Idioms and Phrases

see bone of contention .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The formal document from the Vatican’s doctrine office reiterated the church’s contention that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a woman and a man.

From

Moreno did not discount the notion that prices might rise if the team returns to contention, but he did not guarantee it either.

From

With a World Cup next year, he will need regular football to keep himself in contention for a place in the Three Lions squad.

From

Many people dispute that contention, citing among other factors the commission’s repeated decisions in recent months to approve requests from Edison and other utilities despite protests from Southern Californians.

From

The fast exit and a Friday morning chat with Rotella helped him bounce back into contention.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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