contested

American  

[kuhn-tes-tid] / kənˈtɛs tɪd /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• uncontested adjective
• uncontestedly adverb
• well-contested adjective

Etymology

Origin of contested

contest ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

At the 2025 local elections, Reform won the largest number of seats of those contested in England and gained control of 10 councils – including Durham and Kent.

From BBC

"Our findings create an important foundation for a better understanding of functional processes in lysosomes and the function of the TMEM175 channel, which was contested before now," say the authors.

From Science Daily

According to The New York Times, the 15-point US plan touches on Iran's contested nuclear and missile programs as well as "maritime routes".

From Barron's

Twelve different political parties were on the ballot paper, and this tightly contested race has come right down to the wire.

From BBC

“What we’re seeing now is a world that’s actually quite contested,” she said, adding the military plans were in the works well before the Chinese maneuvers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• debated