contested
Americanadjective
-
battled; fought.
Bates pulled off the win, 82–79, in a tightly contested matchup.
-
involving a disagreement or dispute.
The waiting period for a contested divorce has been reduced to 12 months.
-
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.
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involving more than one candidate.
Congressional redistricting and a contested Senate seat led to a series of competitive Michigan primaries on Tuesday.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contested
Explanation
Something that's contested is argued over or questioned. Contested election results may need to be re-counted, since the two sides can't agree on their validity. Controversial and contentious issues — like debated topics or lawsuits — are often described as "hotly contested," or energetically argued over. Elections, community issues, sporting matches, and scientific ideas are all frequently contested. The word has been used since the 1770s to describe political elections in the US, and it comes from the Latin word contestari, "to call to witness or bring action."
Vocabulary lists containing contested
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its construction and design, however, were hotly contested things, as I learned from Brian Jay Jones’s “The Capitol: The Surprising Biography of an American Building.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Friedkin’s movie shifted people’s perceptions about fear and played with longstanding ideas about the nuclear family and religious ideology, themes that were starting to be contested and debated as America moved further from ’50s-era sterility.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Despite neo-Nazis frequently flocking to the address, its last private owner, Gerlinde Pommer, vetoed any transformation of the house and contested its expropriation by the state until the very end.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“The U.S. is now one strike decision away from having both global energy chokepoints contested simultaneously, and the market, insurance and freight consequences of that scenario are not currently priced in,” Krishnan said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Since saber fencing is so subjective—the referee ultimately decides every contested point—I didn’t want to give him any added reason not to award points to my sister during her bouts.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
