contest
contest
Pronunciation
As a noun (a competition):
IPA Phonetic Spelling (US): /ˈkɑn.tɛst/
Syllable Breakdown:
• con-: /kɑn/ (as in "con" of "cone" but with a shorter 'a' sound)
• -test: /tɛst/ (as in "test")
As a verb (to dispute or compete in):
IPA Phonetic Spelling (US): /kənˈtɛst/
Syllable Breakdown:
• con-: /kən/ (the "schwa" sound, like the 'a' in "about")
• -test: /tɛst/ (as in "test")
Word Form Variations
I. As a Noun (a competition or a struggle):
Singular: contest (e.g., "The writing contest was challenging.")
Plural: contests (e.g., "They held several contests throughout the day.")
II. As a Verb (to dispute, compete in, or challenge):
Base Form/Infinitive: contest (e.g., "They decided to contest the results.")
Third-person singular present: contests (e.g., "She contests every decision.")
Present Participle/Gerund: contesting (e.g., "He is currently contesting the election.")
Past Simple: contested (e.g., "The team contested the referee's call.")
Past Participle: contested (e.g., "The championship was hotly contested.")
III. Related Word Forms (Derived Forms):
These are words that come from "contest" but are different parts of speech:
Adjective: contestable (e.g., "The claim was highly contestable.")
Adverb: contestably (e.g., "The point was contestably argued.")
Noun (person): contester (one who contests, though "contestant" is more common for participants in a competition)
Noun (action/state): contestation (the act of contesting or disputing; e.g., "The political contestation was intense.")
Noun (person, more common):contestant (a person who takes part in a contest or competition)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
As a Noun
Definition 1 (Competition): An organized event or series of events in which individuals or teams compete against each other to achieve a specific goal, often involving skill, strength, or knowledge, with a winner or winners being determined.
Synonyms: competition, match, tournament, championship, rivalry, bout, game
Antonyms: cooperation, collaboration, agreement, peace
Definition 2 (Dispute/Struggle): A situation of strong disagreement, struggle, or rivalry over a particular issue, outcome, or position.
Synonyms: dispute, conflict, struggle, rivalry, contention, debate, challenge
Antonyms: harmony, consensus, accord, peace, agreement
As a Verb
Definition 1 (To Compete): To participate in a competition, election, or challenge with the aim of winning or proving oneself superior.
Synonyms: compete, vie, contend, battle, strive, challenge
Antonyms: yield, concede, surrender, withdraw, abandon
Definition 2 (To Dispute/Challenge): To formally challenge, question the validity of, or oppose an assertion, decision, or outcome, often through argument or legal means.
Synonyms: dispute, challenge, object to, oppose, question, refute, gainsay
Antonyms: accept, agree, confirm, endorse, approve, concede
Related Forms (Derived from "Contest")
Contestable (Adjective)
Definition: Open to dispute or challenge; capable of being questioned or opposed.
Synonyms: debatable, arguable, disputable, questionable, controversial, challengeable
Antonyms: undeniable, indisputable, irrefutable, unassailable, certain, clear
Contesting (Adjective/Present Participle)
Definition (Adjective): Engaged in or characteristic of a dispute, competition, or challenge.
Synonyms: competing, vying, challenging, disputing, struggling, opposing
Antonyms: conceding, yielding, surrendering, agreeing, cooperating
Contestably (Adverb)
Definition: In a manner that is open to dispute or challenge; arguably.
Synonyms: arguably, disputably, questionably, controversially, debatably
Antonyms: undeniably, indisputably, irrefutably, certainly, clearly
Examples of Use
Books:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities). While not explicitly using "contest," the entire narrative is a contest between opposing forces, ideologies, and loyalties.
"The Hunger Games are an annual event where children are chosen to contest to the death until only one victor remains." (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). Here, "contest" is used as a verb meaning to compete.
Newspapers:
"The recent by-election saw a hotly contested seat, with three major parties vying for victory." (Daily Nation, Kenya, headline example). Here, "contested" is used as an adjective, indicating a highly competitive election.
"Lawyers for the former president announced they would contest the validity of the election results, citing widespread irregularities." (The New York Times, news report example). Here, "contest" is used as a verb meaning to challenge or dispute.
Online Publications:
"Is the concept of objective truth still contestable in the age of alternative facts?" (The Guardian Online, opinion piece title example). Here, "contestable" (an adjective) refers to something that can be disputed.
"Tech giants frequently hold coding contests to scout new talent and foster innovation within the developer community." (TechCrunch, article example). Here, "contests" is used as a noun meaning competitions.
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television (Reality TV): "Welcome back to 'MasterChef,' where our remaining chefs will contest in a pressure test to avoid elimination." (MasterChef, dialogue example). "Contest" is a verb meaning to compete.
Film: In legal dramas, a common phrase might be: "We intend to contest every point of the prosecution's argument." (General dialogue example in a legal film). Here, "contest" is a verb meaning to challenge or dispute.
Music (Song Lyrics): While less common, a song might contain a line like: "In a contest of wills, my spirit won't break." (Conceptual song lyric). Here, "contest" is a noun referring to a struggle or competition of wills.
Podcasts: "Our guest today will discuss how historical narratives are often contested and reinterpreted across generations." (Podcast discussion example). Here, "contested" is a verb (past participle) indicating being disputed.
Gaming: Many online games feature "ranked contests" or "PvP contests" where players compete against each other. (Gaming terminology). Here, "contests" is a noun referring to competitive matches.
General Public Discourse:
"The decision to close the park was highly contested by local residents." (Conversation among community members). Here, "contested" is used as an adjective or past participle, meaning disputed.
"Let's have a friendly contest to see who can finish their chores first." (Parent to child). Here, "contest" is used as a noun meaning a friendly competition.
"He declared his intention to contest for the leadership position." (Political discussion). Here, "contest" is a verb meaning to compete for.
10 Famous Quotes Using Contest
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of freedom, it produces enslavement. Violence is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of freedom, it produces enslavement. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Counter violence begets counter violence, increasing the spiral of violence in a descending spiral that eventually destroys everyone. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." (Martin Luther King Jr., "Strength to Love") - While "contest" isn't explicitly used here, the entire quote speaks to the contest against hate and violence, and the methods of engagement.
"The world is a great stage, and we are but players upon it." (William Shakespeare, As You Like It) - This is a metaphorical use, implying life as a performance or contest of roles.
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival." (Winston Churchill, speech to Parliament, May 13, 1940) - Churchill outlines a contest of immense proportions against tyranny.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." (Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan) - This can imply a contest of perspective or outlook on life's difficulties.
"Every vote counts. Every election is a contest that can swing one way or the other by a handful of votes." (Barack Obama, various speeches)
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic," 1910) - This famous quote champions the spirit of engagement in the "arena" of life's contests.
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance") - This implies an internal contest against societal pressures.
"Life's a contest and I like winning." (Unknown, frequently attributed to various athletes or successful individuals)
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle." (Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address, 2005) - While not using "contest," the idea of "keep looking, don't settle" implies a personal struggle or contest to find one's passion.
"In any contest between the natural and the artificial, the artificial is doomed to fail." (Unknown, often attributed to environmentalists or proponents of natural systems)
Etymology
The word "contest" has a cool history that shows how its meaning developed from a formal legal process to the competitive and disputing senses we use today.
It comes from Latin, specifically from the word "contestari." This Latin word literally meant "to call to witness" or "to bring action." Imagine ancient Roman legal proceedings: when you "contestari" something, you were essentially calling on witnesses to support your claim or dispute in a lawsuit. The first part, "con-", means "with" or "together," and "testari" means "to bear witness" (from "testis," meaning "witness"). So, it was about bringing witnesses together to make a case.
The first known uses of "contest" in English appeared in the mid-1500s for the noun and the late 1500s (around 1579) for the verb.
As a noun, its earliest meaning was related to a legal dispute or a formal argument. It was about a "strife" or "struggle" in a very formal, often legal, setting.
As a verb, its first known use, in the late 1500s, meant "to make the subject of dispute, contention, or battle." So, it was about challenging or disputing something, much like in a court case.
Over time, the meaning broadened. From challenging something in a legal sense, it naturally extended to challenging something in a more general way, like an idea or a decision. Then, the idea of "struggle" or "contention" led to the meaning of a "competition" or "game" where people strive against each other to win. That's why today we have athletic "contests" as well as people who "contest" a will.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Contest
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "contest" or its close synonyms, ranging from common to lesser-known or original constructions for illustrative purposes:
Hotly contested: Refers to something, usually a competition or election, that is very close and fiercely fought.
Example: The parliamentary seat was hotly contested by both major parties.
Contest a will: To legally challenge the validity of a deceased person's will.
Example: His estranged children are threatening to contest the will.
Contest a decision/ruling: To formally challenge or dispute a judgment or resolution.
Example: The team plans to contest the referee's controversial ruling.
Contest the results: To dispute the accuracy or legitimacy of an outcome, often in an election or competition.
Example: The losing candidate vowed to contest the election results.
Contest every inch: To fight for every small advantage or point in a dispute or competition.
Example: They vowed to contest every inch of the proposed policy changes.
A beauty contest: A competition in which people are judged on their physical attractiveness.
Example: She won first prize in the local beauty contest.
A singing contest: A competition where participants demonstrate their vocal abilities.
Example: He entered a singing contest hoping to launch his career.
No contest: A declaration, often in sports or legal contexts, that a particular match or dispute cannot or will not proceed, or that one party is overwhelmingly superior.
Example (Boxing): The fight was declared no contest after an accidental headbutt.
Example (Figurative): When it comes to customer service, their rival company is no contest.
A trial by combat/contest: (Lesser-known/Archaic, using a synonym "combat" for effect) A historical method of dispute resolution where two parties would fight to determine the truth.
Example: In ancient times, some disputes were settled by a trial by contest.
To be in the contest: (Original/General usage) To be actively participating and having a chance of winning or succeeding in a competition or challenge.
Example: Despite a slow start, they're still very much in the contest for the championship.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of contest from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
