contention

American  

[kuhn-ten-shuhn] / kənˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

• contentions
  plural

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.

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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

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contention Idioms  

1. see bone of contention.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontention
  noun
• precontention
  noun
• contentional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contentions
  plural

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”; see contend) + -iō -ion

Explanation

There is nothing "content," or satisfying, about being in contention, and that's probably because the word contention means being in a competition that only one side can win. "And in this corner, the contender" is heard at most boxing matches to describe each of the fighters about to go into contention in the ring. Sometimes, though, a contention can be a battle of words or a struggle between two parties over a single point. The expression "bone of contention" describes a narrow object of disagreement that reaches the level of strife, or contention. For two hungry dogs, though, the bone of contention might be a serious matter.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contention contentions

Ireland's Kate O'Connor moved into pole position for heptathlon gold with one event remaining at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson is out of medal contention.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Charter pushed back on that contention, saying it helped residents in the burn areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

The men's game follows at 18:30 with Phoenix also struggling at the bottom of the table in that tournament, while Sunrisers will keep themselves in knockout contention with a win.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Sparks were supposed to be back in playoff contention this season after bringing in Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

For fifteen minutes, they were left alone with the cameras rolling, with instructions to discuss any topic from their marriage that had become a point of contention.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Kalshi said in a filing on Tuesday that, contrary to the CME’s contentions, contracts don’t need a fixed expiration date to be legally classified as futures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

Amid these competing contentions, efforts are on to find a middle ground.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2025

Federal pleading rules require attorneys to certify that the legal contentions they assert are warranted by existing law or a reasonable argument for modifying the law, and that the factual contentions have evidentiary support.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025

For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

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