contested

[kuhn-tes-tid]

adjective

1. battled; fought.

   Bates pulled off the win, 82–79, in a tightly contested matchup.

2. involving a disagreement or dispute.

   The waiting period for a contested divorce has been reduced to 12 months.

3. 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.

4. involving more than one candidate.

   Congressional redistricting and a contested Senate seat led to a series of competitive Michigan primaries on Tuesday.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of contest.

Other Word Forms

• uncontested adjective
• uncontestedly adverb
• well-contested adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contested¹

contest ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The legality of the boat strikes has been contested by U.S. lawmakers, foreign allies, the United Nations and human-rights groups.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“This is going to be among the top five heavily contested races in the country.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Prices for the medications remain very high; insurance coverage is inconsistent and increasingly contested by health plans.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

From 2031, the Women's World Cup will be contested between 48 teams - in line with the men's format - and require 15 stadiums.

Read more on BBC

Among the most contested proposals is a call to increase protections for eels, a popular food in parts of Asia.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• debated www.thesaurus.com