contention

American  

[kuhn-ten-shuhn] / kənˈtɛn ʃən /

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 British  

/ 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

---

contention Idioms  

1. see bone of contention.

---

Other Word Forms

• contentional adjective
• noncontention noun
• precontention noun

Etymology

Origin of contention

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

Example Sentences

Who deserves credit when fraud is prosecuted has also become a point of contention.

From Los Angeles Times

The draw left Real Sociedad eighth, still in contention for European football next season after their improvement.

From Barron's

Another point of contention would be the damages calculation.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Warsh was in contention for the job back in 2017 and as such comes to the role with a level of authority that is respected across the market," he added.

From BBC

American did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the union’s contentions.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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