noncontender

noun

non·​con·​tend·​er
variants or non-contender
plural noncontenders or non-contenders
: a competitor who is considered to have no real chance of winning something (such as a championship or an election)
The first round of the high school football playoffs generally is where the noncontenders—those teams with losing records that slid into the postseason as No. 4 seeds—quickly are weeded out.Chip Saye, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 19 Nov. 2010
Here's a vote for Minnesota's Gary Gaetti, often overlooked because he has been playing for a non-contender in a low–visibility market, as the league's best all-round third baseman.The Sporting News, 8 June 1987

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of noncontender was in 1921

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Cite this Entry

“Noncontender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noncontender. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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