Synonyms of contend

14 similar words

Another word for contend is fight. Other synonyms of contend are oppose, struggle, vie, debate and contest.

Synonyms and similar words for contend

fightTo contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle, etc.
combat
vieTo fight for superiority; to contend; to compete eagerly so as to gain something.
opposeTo attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend...

struggleTo strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight (for or against), to contend.
striveTo struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest.
emulate rare

contestTo contend.
litigate
disputeTo contend in argument; to argue against something maintained, upheld, or claimed, by another.
debateTo participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena.

verb To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
verb To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
verb To be in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.

What is another word for contend?: Contend has 14 synonyms on Word.ws, such as fight, oppose, struggle, vie, debate, contest, dispute and strive.
What does contend mean?: Contend means to be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.

Adapted from Wiktionary: contend (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of contend.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/contend. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.