contention

[ kuhn-ten-shuhn ]

noun

1. a struggling together in opposition; strife.

   Synonyms: combat, conflict

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

   Synonyms: altercation, debate, dissension, disagreement

   Antonyms: agreement

4. a point contended for or affirmed in controversy.

contention

/ kənˈtɛnʃən /

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

Other Words From

• con·tention·al adjective
• noncon·tention noun
• precon·tention noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contention¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of contention¹

C14: from Latin contentiō exertion, from contendere to contend

Idioms and Phrases

see bone of contention .

Example Sentences

State officials said the findings justified their contention that the $200 million was not missing, but that it simply had not yet been collected.

From ProPublica

Fail to get at least one point in these matchups and you can fall out of contention very easily.

From Washington Post

Despite dips in scoring average and shooting efficiency, Green has continued easing and directing the workload of his teammates, filling in crucial gaps as Golden State balances contention with player development.

From FiveThirtyEight

For now, there’s really no telling whether legislators will come to together on preemption and the right to legal action, or whether they’ll remain points of contention blocking federal privacy law.

From Digiday

It’s not even the duo of Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran of Louisville, a pair of newcomers both north of two win shares already, helping Jeff Walz’s Cardinals to title contention once more alongside player of the year candidate Dana Evans.

From FiveThirtyEight

But that was so yesterday, much like his contention that he lacked the power to unilaterally confer amnesty.

From The Daily Beast

That last statistic, however, is a point of hot contention between both sides of the battle for Tony.

From The Daily Beast

Rather, she alleges that Madaleno has made it a point of heated contention throughout the campaign.

From The Daily Beast

Koch had girded himself for at least a year of contention before his research would be accepted.

From The Daily Beast

So even back then, this was an obvious point of concern and contention.

From The Daily Beast

He has felt strongly, and he was feeling strongly now; he was feeling passionately—that was my whole contention.

From Project Gutenberg

I knew not that contention could be rendered so sweet and pleasurable a thing to the nerves as I then felt it.

From Project Gutenberg

Dorothy had tried her best to relieve Letty of half her burthen, and in return had been made a bone of contention between them.

From Project Gutenberg

Woe is me, my mother: why hast thou borne me a man of strife, a man of contention to all the earth?

From Project Gutenberg

Whether a description is clear, exact and sufficient is a question for the jury whenever it is a matter of legal contention.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• allegation
• assertion
• belief
• claim
• discussion
• explanation
• hypothesis
• idea
• opinion
• plea
• position
• thesis