as in dispute
variance of opinion on a matter
the statement is certainly open to contestation among reasonable people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contestation
After the conclusion of one set of political contestations, new challenges emerge: after World War II came the Cold War, for example.
—
Jonathan Kirshner, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2025
After Germany occupied Norway in 1940 and Adolf Hitler’s troops invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Svalbard became a key point of military contestation.
—James Patton Rogers & Caroline Kennedy Pipe / Made By History , TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
What that does is take these decisions out of the space of democratic contestation.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
His book outlines the dominance of white masculinity in presidential politics since the birth of our nation, and the ways in contestations over masculinity are evident in its most prominent political contests.
—Kelly Dittmar, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for contestation
Jonathan Kirshner, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2025
After Germany occupied Norway in 1940 and Adolf Hitler’s troops invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Svalbard became a key point of military contestation.
—James Patton Rogers & Caroline Kennedy Pipe / Made By History , TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
What that does is take these decisions out of the space of democratic contestation.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
His book outlines the dominance of white masculinity in presidential politics since the birth of our nation, and the ways in contestations over masculinity are evident in its most prominent political contests.
—Kelly Dittmar, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for contestation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contestation
Noun
-
Book dispute is one of three religious rights cases The case is one of three religious rights cases the Supreme Court is deciding in the coming weeks, and appears likely to be part of a recent trend of the court siding with religious rights advocates.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Meanwhile, borrowers who have their loans in default should expect to receive an email in the next two weeks asking them to contact the Debt Resolution Group, which helps resolve disputes related to defaulted loans.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Now, with the controversy behind him, Benn has the opportunity to finally face Eubank in the ring.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Despite the controversy, for the Hilton, that doesn't change the imperative to serve.—
Major Garrett,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
-
Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.—
Susie Linfield,
The New York Review of Books,
11 May 2022
Noun
-
Things got particularly ugly during 2016 presidential debates when he was asked to defend referring to women as fat pigs and slobs.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Whether that’s primarily on the players for not handling that like professionals, or on Briere for not recognizing the impact that losing Laughton (and, to a lesser extent, Erik Johnson) would have on the group, is up for debate.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Leaders who create space for disagreement without judgment build greater trust, psychological safety and strategic cohesion.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
In a landmark 1935 case, Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt couldn’t fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission due to policy disagreements.—
Quartz Staff,
Quartz,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contestation. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share