Definition of CONTENTION (original) (raw)

: a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument

It is his contention that allowing a casino to be built would not be in the best interests of the city.

: an act or instance of contending

He has taken himself out of contention for the directorship.

Synonyms

Choose the Right Synonym for contention

a political party long racked by discord

strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.

during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife

conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.

the conflict of freedom and responsibility

contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

several points of contention about the new zoning law

dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

religious dissension threatened to split the colony

variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.

cultural variances that work against a national identity

Examples of contention in a Sentence

Tiger Woods splashed his way into contention in the New Zealand Open … shooting a four under par to close within six strokes of the lead. —New York Times, 13 Jan. 2002 The issues behind the protest are the usual bones of collective-bargaining contention: pay increases, vacation time, union membership. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 17 & 24 June 2002 Science, and academic scholarship in general, the contention these days goes, is too subjective. Some even allege it's entirely subjective, as is, they say, history. —Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996 All quotes from QDB.

That has been a source of contention for years. He is in contention for the Olympic medal.

Recent Examples on the Web With the puck not dropping on the new NHL season for another month and the Blue Jays well out of playoff contention, in the basement of the A.L. East, one thing is for sure: the President’s Cup is poised to be the country’s top sporting event of the early autumn season. —Mike Dojc, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 The fate of the idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois is another issue of contention with the union. —Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 24 Sep. 2024 Dodgers Rested Dodgers win important series vs. Arizona to bolster NL West title hopes Sept. 2, 2024 The Angels flamed out of playoff contention in spectacular fashion last fall, losing seven straight games at the start of August to quickly dash their deadline plans. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024 Why would Butler be interested in playing out the twilight of his career on a team that seems years away from championship contention? —Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for contention

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contention.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contencioun "dissension, dispute," borrowed from Anglo-French cuntençun, contencion, borrowed from Latin contentiōn-, contentiō "exertion, competition, conflict," from conten-, variant stem of contendere "to strain, make an effort, strive, compete" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at contend

Note: Regarding the variant -ten- with deverbal suffixes beginning in -t- (so contentiō rather than *contensiō), see the note at tender entry 3.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of contention was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near contention

Cite this Entry

“Contention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contention. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.