Contention and Dispute

Contention

Contention noun - An earnest effort for superiority or victory over another.
Usage example: several actresses seem to be in heated contention for the title of “worst dressed”

Dispute is a synonym for contention in conflict topic. In some cases you can use "Dispute" instead a noun "Contention", when it comes to topics like disagreement, debate, speech, argument. popular alternative

Dispute

Dispute noun - Variance of opinion on a matter.
Usage example: a dispute over the proper pronunciation of “nuclear”

Contention is a synonym for dispute in argument topic. You can use "Contention" instead a noun "Dispute", if it concerns topics such as conflict, disagreement, debate, speech. popular alternative

How words are described

considerable considerable contention considerable dispute
legal legal contention legal dispute
strong strong contention strong dispute
serious serious contention serious dispute
Other adjectives: major, hot, heated, political, minor, academic, international.
Cite this Source
Dispute and Contention. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/contention/dispute
Contention & Dispute. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/contention/dispute>.
Dispute or Contention. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/contention/dispute.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "contention" and "dispute" have occurred on timeline