Word
contention
Phoneticscon·tention
US/kənˈtɛnʃən/
UK/kəntˈɛnʃən/
Definitions
01disagreement or conflict
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Formal
n. angry disagreement or fighting between people or groups.
n. a state of strife, dispute, or heated competition between parties.
日本語:抗争※
“The new housing project has been a source of contention in the village for years.”
“The proposed tax reforms became a major bone of contention between the two political parties during the final weeks of the election campaign.”
02a claim or argument
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal · Academic
n. an opinion or idea that you state as being true during an argument.
n. an assertion or point maintained in an argument; a position taken or contended for.
日本語:主張※
“It is his contention that the company failed because of poor management.”
“The lawyer's primary contention was that the evidence had been tampered with before it reached the laboratory for analysis.”
03resource competition
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Computing Technical
n. a situation where different parts of a computer system try to use the same resource at once.
n. competition by multiple components or users for a limited shared resource, such as bandwidth or memory.
日本語:競合※
“The network slowed down because of heavy contention for the available bandwidth.”
“The database administrator identified significant resource contention as the primary cause of the latency spikes observed during peak operating hours.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “contention” in context.
Verb
01. dismiss the contention
“The judge dismissed the contention that the defendant had acted in self-defense.”
verb + noun
02. support the contention
“The latest archaeological findings support the contention that the site was inhabited much earlier than previously thought.”
verb + noun
Adjective
03. bone of contention
“The distribution of the inheritance remained a major bone of contention between the two brothers for years.”
noun + of + noun
04. central contention
“The central contention of his book is that technology has fundamentally altered human cognition.”
adj + noun
Noun
05. contention that
“I must challenge your contention that the project was a complete failure.”
noun + that-clause
Preposition
06. in contention
“After three rounds of golf, there are still five players in contention for the championship title.”
prep + noun
07. point of contention
“The proposed tax increase became a significant point of contention during the town hall meeting.”
noun + of + noun
Real-World Examples
“It will be a tense double-header as nine drivers are currently in contention for the championship title, with fellow Brit Jake Dennis currently topping the table.” “With England’s Tino Livramento sidelined by calf trouble, Miley Jr is in real contention to start against Liverpool.” Etymology
From Middle English contencion, borrowed from Old French contencion, from Latin contentio, contentionem, from contendō (past participle contentus); equivalent to contend + -tion (similar formation to attention).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/contention
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0