Adjacent Words

Contention definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTENTION, n. [L. See Contend.]
1. Strife; struggle; a violent effort to obtain something, or to resist a person, claim or injury; contest; quarrel.
Multitudes lost their lives in a tumult raised by contention among the partizans of the several colors.
2. Strife in words or debate; quarrel; angry contest; controversy.
Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law. Titus 3.
A fools lips enter into contention. Proverbs 18.
3. Strife or endeavor to excel; emulation.
4. Eagerness; zeal; ardor; vehemence of endeavor.
This is an end worthy of our utmost contention to obtain.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a point asserted as part of an argument
2: a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement; "they were involved in a violent argument" [syn: controversy, contention, contestation, disputation, disceptation, tilt, argument, arguing]
3: the act of competing as for profit or a prize; "the teams were in fierce contention for first place" [syn: competition, contention, rivalry] [ant: cooperation]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English contencioun, from Anglo-French cuntenciun, from Latin contention-, contentio, from contendere Date: 14th century 1. an act or instance of contending 2. a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument 3. rivalry, competition Synonyms: see discord

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a dispute or argument; rivalry. 2 a point contended for in an argument (it is my contention that you are wrong). Phrases and idioms: in contention competing, esp. with a good chance of success. Etymology: ME f. OF contention or L contentio (as contend)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contention Con*ten"tion, n. [F. contention, L. contentio. See Contend.] 1. A violent effort or struggle to obtain, or to resist, something; contest; strife. I would my arms could match thee in contention. --Shak. 2. Strife in words; controversy; altercation; quarrel; dispute; as, a bone of contention. Contentions and strivings about the law. --Titus iii. 9. 3. Vehemence of endeavor; eagerness; ardor; zeal. An end . . . worthy our utmost contention to obtain. --Rogers. 4. A point maintained in an argument, or a line of argument taken in its support; the subject matter of discussion or strife; a position taken or contended for. All men seem agreed what is to be done; the contention is how the subject is to be divided and defined. --Bagehot. This was my original contention, and I still maintain that you should abide by your former decision. --Jowett. Syn: Struggle; strife; contest; quarrel; combat; conflict; feud; litigation; controversy; dissension; variance; disagreement; debate; competition; emulation. Usage: Contention, Strife. A struggle between two parties is the idea common to these two words. Strife is a struggle for mastery; contention is a struggle for the possession of some desired object, or the accomplishment of some favorite end. Neither of the words is necessarily used in a bad sense, since there may be a generous strife or contention between two friends as to which shall incur danger or submit to sacrifices. Ordinarily, however, these words denote a struggle arising from bad passions. In that case, strife usually springs from a quarrelsome temper, and contention from, a selfish spirit which seeks its own aggrandizement, or is fearful lest others should obtain too much. Strife has more reference to the manner than to the object of a struggle, while contention takes more account of the end to be gained.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(contentions) 1. Someone's contention is the idea or opinion that they are expressing in an argument or discussion. This evidence supports their contention that the outbreak of violence was prearranged. = claim N-COUNT: usu poss N 2. If something is a cause of contention, it is a cause of disagreement or argument. A particular source of contention is plans to privatise state-run companies. N-UNCOUNT: usu n of N see also bone of contention 3. If you are in contention in a contest, you have a chance of winning it. He was in contention for a place in the European championship squad. PHRASE: v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Strife, discord, dissension, wrangling, wrangle, quarrel, squabble, feud, rupture, falling out, high words. 2. Dispute, debate, bickering, altercation, controversy, logomachy, war of words, strife of words.

Moby Thesaurus

Discordia, Eris, altercation, antagonism, anteposition, antipathy, antithesis, apologetics, apologia, apology, argument, argumentation, argumentative, bellicose, belligerence, belligerent, bicker, bickering, blood feud, brawl, broil, bucking, captious, carping, casuistry, caviling, challenge, clash, clashing, collision, combative, conflict, confrontation, confrontment, contentious, contestation, contradiction, contraposition, contrariety, contrary, contrast, contravention, contraversion, controversial, controversy, counteraction, counterworking, crosscurrent, crossing, defense, denial, despitefulness, difference, disaccord, disaffinity, discord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, disputation, disputatious, dispute, dissension, dissent, dissidence, disunity, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, embroilment, enmity, faultfinding, feud, fiery, fight, fliting, flyting, fracas, friction, froward, fuss, hassle, hasty, hate, hatred, head wind, hostility, hotheaded, hubbub, hurrah, imbroglio, impetuous, impugnation, impugnment, incompatibility, incompatibleness, inharmoniousness, inharmony, jangle, jar, litigation, litigious, logomachy, malevolence, malice, malignity, militant, mischief, negation, noncooperation, open conflict, open quarrel, opposing, opposition, opposure, oppugnation, paper war, passage of arms, peppery, perverse, polar opposition, polarity, polarization, polemic, polemical, polemics, posing against, pugnacious, quarrel, quarrelsome, quarrelsomeness, rebutment, rebuttal, refusal, rejection, repugnance, resistance, rhubarb, rub, rumpus, scrappy, set-to, sharp words, slanging match, snarl, spat, spite, spitefulness, squabble, standing against, strained relations, strife, tension, tiff, traversal, truculent, tussle, undercurrent, unharmoniousness, unpleasantness, variance, vendetta, verbal engagement, war of words, warlike, words, wrangle, wrangling