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

But a game of errors when serving for the match brought Gauff back into contention.

From BBC

This has long been a point of contention, but removing this funding would likely hobble the agency.

From Salon

Asked what he took away from the ways Trump's various legal battles played out over the last several months, each legal expert named different points of contention.

From Salon

UCLA’s coach was in the midst of securing enough high-end talent to vault his team back into national title contention for the 30th anniversary of the Bruins’ last championship.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite this, the Swordsmen were in contention to win until the very end.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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