contested

verb

past tense of contest
as in challenged
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of vowed to contest the claim in court

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 contested Walking the ball up, waiting for play calls, playing on one side of the floor, one-pass shots that were contested, and then just leaving it to one shot. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 The waterway, which transported a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply before the war, has become heavily contested with attacks on ships ramping up in recent weeks. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 The 2026 trade deal with Mercosur, in the works for decades, was immediately contested, politically and legally, by individual member states and their representatives in the European Parliament. — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026 Yet the very definition of ultraprocessed is highly contested. — Garrett M. Broad, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026 Plus, divisional games tend to be lower-scoring and more tightly contested. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 There is little public clarity around the individual voters whose registration is being contested or how the administration began to question their eligibility. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 The analysis was conducted in states where the statewide midterm primary with the most votes was contested by more than one candidate for both parties in 2026 going back to 2006. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Workers and their families staged a sitdown strike while the Korean Metal Workers’ Union contested the layoffs in court. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contested
  1. challenged
  2. questioned
  3. disputed
Verb
  • The senator challenged Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin’s decision to extend voting by two hours, arguing that the uneven application of the measure had undermined equal voting conditions.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Bolsonaro has already challenged the results, prolonging the political flux and adding fresh pressure to the currency.
    — Marta Biino, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of challenged
Verb
  • The search drew sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats, who also questioned the timing.
    — Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • When Diaconu first entered a business fundraising competition, people questioned whether repair as a business was scalable and durable.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of questioned
Verb
  • Vellesiya Wiley has disputed that her friend, who was driving, headed toward the officers.
    — Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • South African authorities have disputed some of those claims and said some deaths were related to criminal activity and not the protests.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of disputed

Browse Nearby Words

contestations
contested
contesting
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Cite this Entry

“Contested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contested. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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