Synonyms for contest
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Battle — struggle for superiority; combat
battle, fight, action, struggle, conflict, combat, tussle, engagement, scuffle, encounter, scramble, warfare, strive, broil, strife dated, brush dated
2. Debate — controversy; debate
debate, controversy, feud, war of words, dispute, contention, discussion, contestation, quarrel, wrangle, altercation
3. Competition — A competition
competition, match, tournament, pageant, tourney, rivalry, emulation
Verb
2. Call into question — to call into question; to oppose
Other
argue, controvert rare, repugn dated
Definitions
- n. 1
Controversy; debate.
- n. 2
Struggle for superiority; combat.
- v. 1
To contend.
I will contest for the open seat on the board.
- v. 2
To call into question; to oppose.
The rival contested the dictator's re-election because of claims of voting irregularities.
Related words
Choose the right word
A protracted war, including many battles, may be a stubborn contest.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- battle Hitler and his allies had won battle after battle.
- tussle Tom and John got into a little tussle this morning.
- discussion A discussion of the proposal seems to be in order.
- debate The matter of his successor is still under debate.
- competition I like to play sport for fun, not for competition.
- bout Let's swing by the bar for a drink, how 'bout that?
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| contest | steady | |
| battle | rising | |
| tussle | rising | |
| discussion | steady | |
| debate | rising | |
| competition | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- vie1
- 4 letters
- game1, bout1, feud1
- 5 letters
- fight1, match1, argue2, brush1, joust1, broil1
- 6 letters
- action2, battle2, combat2, debate2, oppose2, strive1, strife1, tussle2, impugn2, repugn
- 7 letters
- compete2, dispute2, warfare2, rivalry3, contend2, pageant2, quarrel2, tourney2, scuffle2, wrangle2
- 8 letters
- question2, struggle2, conflict2, scramble2
- 9 letters
- encounter3, emulation4
- 10 letters
- discussion3, tournament3, engagement3, contention3, controvert
- 11 letters
- competition4, controversy4, altercation4
- 12 letters
- contestation
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (argue2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- concours
- Italiano
- concorso
- Español
- concurso
- Deutsch
- Wettbewerb
- Català
- concurs