contestation

noun

ˌkän-ˌte-ˈstā-shən How to pronounce contestation (audio)
Definition of contestationnext
as in dispute
variance of opinion on a matter the statement is certainly open to contestation among reasonable people

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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 In particular, Iran’s cinematic identity over the past century has been characterized by the contestation of hegemonic forces, both secular and fundamentalist. — Nick Kouhi, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2026 What supplies all these events with a sense of approaching a precipice is the open contestation between pro- and anti-democratic forces, happening both here and abroad, in view of each other. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026 That makes some of these contestations existential, particularly for smaller combatants. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 Jan. 2026 Indeed, the existence of avenues for contestation is in the very nature of competitive authoritarianism. — Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contestation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contestation
  1. dispute
  2. controversy
  3. disputation
  4. debate
  5. disagreement
Noun
  • The switch to in-person court hearings drew immediate criticism and Johnston in October 2025 agreed to reinstate an online dispute process.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky formally dismissed Fedorov on July 15, citing disputes with the former commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who himself was dismissed on July 21.
    — David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispute
Noun
  • Some controversy arose when New Hampshire was not proposed to be in the first spot, despite a state law requiring the state hold first-in-the-nation primaries.
    — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The delay is considered the first controversy of the country’s new government, led by conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on Friday.
    — Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of controversy
Noun
  • This did not, however, mark the end of disputation concerning the Northwest Angle.
    — Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of disputation
Noun
  • Yet, how much the shift will improve the financial lot of clubs is up for debate.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Yet the underlying biology of aging remains a matter of uncertainty and debate.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of debate
Noun
  • There’s disagreement over how Democrats’ split between progressives and mainstream liberals may — or may not — surface in the calendar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Friday’s hearing likely will address a disagreement between prosecutors and the defense over the retrial location – not necessarily over whether to move it, but over the defense’s new request to have it in Charleston specifically.
    — Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of disagreement

Browse Nearby Words

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contestation
contestations
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Cite this Entry

“Contestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contestation. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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