1
as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a strong contender for the mayoral position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in competitors
one who strives for the same thing as another
several contenders competing for the title of the city's best Italian restaurant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 contenders
With more contenders and a smaller voting pool, this can occasionally lead to ties — which has provided some wonderful moments.
—
Jenelle Riley, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
To qualify for the Slamdance honor, contenders could not have made their world premieres at Sundance, SXSW, or Telluride.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Dec. 2024
The Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are considered the contenders for Soto’s services, with the Mets and Yankees seen as the most-likely suitors for the slugger’s services.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024
In an awards season that is looking pretty wicked on a number of levels, the Golden Globes pulled back the curtain on some magical contenders this morning.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2024
So, who are the biggest contenders going into the January 5 ceremony?
—Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Glutamatergic neurons buried deep in the LH emerged as strong and unexpected contenders.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 8 Dec. 2024
The Giants never emerged as true contenders to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto after missing out on Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in recent years.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
Longer-running awards contenders saw weaker post-holiday results.
—Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2024
Jenelle Riley, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
To qualify for the Slamdance honor, contenders could not have made their world premieres at Sundance, SXSW, or Telluride.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Dec. 2024
The Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are considered the contenders for Soto’s services, with the Mets and Yankees seen as the most-likely suitors for the slugger’s services.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024
In an awards season that is looking pretty wicked on a number of levels, the Golden Globes pulled back the curtain on some magical contenders this morning.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2024
So, who are the biggest contenders going into the January 5 ceremony?
—Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Glutamatergic neurons buried deep in the LH emerged as strong and unexpected contenders.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 8 Dec. 2024
The Giants never emerged as true contenders to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto after missing out on Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in recent years.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
Longer-running awards contenders saw weaker post-holiday results.
—Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
Noun
-
Strong candidates will be available.Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 11 Dec. 2024
-
There should be plenty of candidates for the role.Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The companies argued that their top competitors were not conventional supermarkets but food behemoths like Walmart, Costco, Amazon and even dollar stores.Alina Selyukh, NPR, 11 Dec. 2024
-
These developments suggest that while NVIDIA has been instrumental in advancing AI hardware, its position is increasingly challenged by both regulatory pressures and emerging competitors.Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The rest of the contestants and the coaches reacted joyfully, including Stefani, who could be seen twirling in a gown.Lisa Respers France, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
-
In a rare double-down, Bublé was also the only coach to have two contestants make it into the top five, as well as boasting the top two finishers thanks to his other contestant, Shye, coming in as runner-up.Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The stakes have never been higher, and the challengers are ready to test NVIDIA’s resilience.Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
-
In the Central Valley, the Antelope Valley and Orange County, a trio of Democratic congressional challengers unseated Republican incumbents as the party narrowed the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives.Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near contenders
Cite this Entry
“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share