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 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 The novel’s alternate realities are split like a nightmarish LP — the party in Silver Lake pops off on the A-side where, soon, most territories will be contested, and militias and gunfire will become ubiquitous. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 The allegations remain contested, with questions about attribution and the involvement of third-party intermediaries unresolved. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 Chief Justice John Roberts gave the Federal Communications Commission a temporary win on Thursday in its legal battle over who is entitled to favorable advertising rates in the closing weeks of the costly and hotly contested midterm elections. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026 All 21 board seats are up for grabs, and though most members are running to keep their seats, the races are expected to be hotly contested. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 This interpretation, while supported by a substantial body of historical scholarship, is sharply contested by leaders of some Italian-American organizations, who laud Columbus as a symbol of ethnic pride. — Ed Simon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2026 Stefani has contested that characterization, saying Mo was lawfully employed by the California Legislature. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contested
  1. challenged
  2. questioned
  3. disputed
Verb
  • Tripp Gibson, James Hoye, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales all were challenged twice and confirmed twice.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The archaic legal restrictions restricting same-sex couples or unmarried women, for example, are acknowledged and adhered to, rather than being openly challenged or criticized.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of challenged
Verb
  • But on Monday, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan likened many of the investors drawn to the AI boom to gamblers and questioned the economics of AI labs as Wall Street debates whether the AI bubble will burst.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The child's mother was taken into custody at the hospital and is being questioned by police, according to the NYPD.
    — Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of questioned
Verb
  • No agents died in the real-life incident, and whether Good’s car ever posed a threat to her killer, Jonathan Ross, remains widely disputed.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Guilfoyle's team publicly disputed the authenticity of text messages Deters shared with multiple news outlets, including CBS News.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 15 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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