CONTENDERS Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

contenders

noun

plural of contender

as in candidates

one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award a strong contender for the mayoral position

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in competitors

one who strives for the same thing as another several contenders competing for the title of the city's best Italian restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

noncompetitors

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 contenders And the way the French election works is that there’s a first round for the Presidential contenders and then the two front-runners go forward. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026 Among the contenders was the 38-year-old New Zealander then best known for the miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies and Omen III — and still seven years away from Jurassic Park. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 Of course, the Glee cast is going to have their work cut out for them, given more than a decade has transpired since the original series went off the air in 2015 and a lot more contenders have emerged in the years after. — Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026 Every season, true fashion lovers obsess over the new assortment of Bottega bags on the runway—and for spring, there were plenty of hot contenders. — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 With just a week left for the 2026 Ballon d'Or award ceremony, top contenders Lamine Yamal (FCB), Rodri (FCB), and Ousmane Dembélé (PSG) will be itching to deliver statement performances and stake their claim. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2026 Every team that gets votes from at least three members is included in the overall pool of contenders eligible to be ranked. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 This leaves a shortlist of three former Grammy Award winners and two artists who have yet to add a gramophone to their hardware collection as our major contenders for Best Rap Album at the 69th Annual Grammy Awards. — Preezy Brown, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2026 Filmmakers behind those distinguished productions assembled at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas last week for HSDFF’s inaugural roundtable of Oscar contenders, an event held in partnership with Deadline. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders

Noun

That’s thanks to two Democratic incumbents running more strongly than expected in more conservative districts, but also to candidates like Garcia, who’s running neck-and-neck against his GOP rival.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Their Students' List of candidates includes various experts in their fields with little or no experience in politics or state jobs.

— JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of candidates

Noun

Among the largest companies in the trading card and collectibles industry, PSA’s progress toward fully reopening will be closely monitored by hobbyists and competitors alike.

— Benjamin Burrows, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
This structure meant competitors had no viable alternative transport routes.

— Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of competitors

Noun

There’s something so unsettling about a game show where the contestants’ well-being is not considered, and The Tonight Show leaned into that uncanniness to great effect.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Instead of contestants going solo over a balance beam between platforms, three players had to work together to get a ball balanced on a disc over the beam.

— Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of contestants

Noun

Sarah Pinto, head of Robinhood Ventures, has no issue with backing rivals.

— Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The possibilities ‘are endless’ Candidates with smaller campaign budgets rely on artificial intelligence to compete with their rivals, Ridout suggested.

— Anagilmara Vílchez, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rivals

Noun

Will White, at large, is set to face five challengers in his first election after being appointed to the council in May 2025.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Recent political trends show that prosecutor elections are becoming more competitive, with more incumbents facing challengers.

— Ronald Wright, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of challengers

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contender

contenders

contending

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Style

“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of contenders

noun

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