contested

American  

[kuhn-tes-tid] / kənˈtɛs tɪd /

adjective

1. battled; fought.

   Bates pulled off the win, 82–79, in a tightly contested matchup.

2. involving a disagreement or dispute.

   The waiting period for a contested divorce has been reduced to 12 months.

3. being fought over; in dispute.

   The contested land is located 30 kilometers south of the city.

   At times, the parties may not come to an agreement, or they may only agree on some of the contested issues.

4. involving more than one candidate.

   Congressional redistricting and a contested Senate seat led to a series of competitive Michigan primaries on Tuesday.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of contest.

Other Word Forms

• uncontested adjective
• uncontestedly adverb
• well-contested adjective

Etymology

Origin of contested

contest ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Oil prices dropped sharply Wednesday after a volatile day of trading as investors assessed the likelihood of war ending and of tanker traffic resuming through a contested waterway.

From MarketWatch

Mr. Wurman also shows that the status of temporary sojourners was contested by the 19th century.

From The Wall Street Journal

A relatively new missile-toting unit of Marines, based on Okinawa, is designed to fight in a contested littoral battlespace by dispersing, concealing themselves, and taking out enemy ships and aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal

The airline industry has emerged as one of the hardest-hit sectors, as the war forces mass flight cancellations and significant rerouting around contested airspace.

From Barron's

At the 2025 local elections, Reform won the largest number of seats of those contested in England and gained control of 10 councils – including Durham and Kent.

From BBC

Related Words

• debated