contention

[ kuhn-ten-shuhn ]
/ kənˈtɛn ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contention ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a struggling together in opposition; strife.
a striving in rivalry; competition; contest.
strife in debate; dispute; controversy.
a point contended for or affirmed in controversy.

Origin of contention

1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin contentiōn- (stem of contentiō), equivalent to content(us), past participle of contendere to contend ( con- con- + tentus, variant of tēnsus; see tense1) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM contention

con·ten·tion·al, adjective non·con·ten·tion, noun pre·con·ten·tion, noun

Words nearby contention

content marketing, content provider, content word, content-addressable storage, contented, contention, contentious, contentive, contentment, conterminous, contessa

Words related to contention

argument, controversy, struggle, rivalry, conflict, dispute, claim, belief, thesis, idea, assertion, plea, hypothesis, allegation, opinion, position, explanation, discussion, discord, dissent

Example sentences from the Web for contention

British Dictionary definitions for contention

contention
/ (kənˈtɛnʃən) /

noun

a struggling between opponents; competition
dispute in an argument (esp in the phrase bone of contention)
a point asserted in argument

Word Origin for contention

C14: from Latin contentiō exertion, from contendere to contend

Idioms and Phrases with contention

contention

see bone of contention.