| / English Dictionary |
CONTENTION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of competing as for profit or a prize
Example:
the teams were in fierce contention for first place
Synonyms:
competition; contention; rivalry
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("contention" is a kind of...):
group action (action taken by a group of people)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "contention"):
contest (a struggle between rivals)
Derivation:
contend (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A point asserted as part of an argument
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("contention" is a kind of...):
assertion; asseveration; averment (a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "contention"):
submission ((law) a contention presented by a lawyer to a judge or jury as part of the case he is arguing)
Derivation:
contend (maintain or assert)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
Example:
they were involved in a violent argument
Synonyms:
arguing; argument; contention; contestation; controversy; disceptation; disputation; tilt
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("contention" is a kind of...):
conflict; difference; difference of opinion; dispute (a disagreement or argument about something important)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "contention"):
argle-bargle; argy-bargy (a verbal dispute; a wrangling argument)
firestorm (an outburst of controversy)
sparring (an argument in which the participants are trying to gain some advantage)
polemic (a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma))
fight (an intense verbal dispute)
Derivation:
contend (have an argument about something)
contend (to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation)
contentious (involving or likely to cause controversy)
contentious (inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits)
Context examples:
Seriously, though—and this is confession—I think there is something in your contention—a great deal, in fact.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
At Mansfield, no sounds of contention, no raised voice, no abrupt bursts, no tread of violence, was ever heard; all proceeded in a regular course of cheerful orderliness; everybody had their due importance; everybody's feelings were consulted.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
When I heard this I prayed him on my knees that he would give me the use of his gown, which after many contentions he at last agreed to do, on my paying him three marks towards the regilding of the image of Laurence the martyr.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Ruth's mind was quick, and her disapproval of her lover's views was buttressed by the contradiction she found in his contention.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
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