Meanings
nouncontender (plural contenders)
plural contenders
- Someone who competes with one or more other people.
- Someone who has a viable chance of winning a competition.
In April 2014, towards the end of Özil’s first season at Arsenal – which had been marked by highs and lows – Wenger predicted the German would be a contender for the player of the year awards in 2014‑15.
2016 January 1, David Hytner, The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic مُنَافِس
- مُنَافِس (munāfis)someone who competes
Dutch mededinger
- mededingersomeone who competes
French concurrent, rival
- concurrentsomeone who competes
- rivalsomeone who competes
German Gegner, Konkurrent
- Gegnersomeone who competes
- Konkurrentsomeone who competes
- Rivalesomeone who competes
- Mitbewerbersomeone who competes
Greek αγωνιζόμενος, αντίπαλος
- αγωνιζόμενος (agonizómenos)someone who competes
- αντίπαλος (antípalos)someone who competes
Italian contendente, rivale
- contendentesomeone who competes
- rivalesomeone who competes
- concorrentesomeone who competes
- competitoresomeone who competes
Polish zawodnik, zawodniczka
- zawodniksomeone who competes
- zawodniczkasomeone who competes
Portuguese competidor
- competidorsomeone who competes
Russian сопе́рник, сопе́рница
- сопе́рник (sopérnik)someone who competes
- сопе́рница (sopérnica)someone who competes
- претенде́нт (pretendént)someone who competes
- претенде́нтка (pretendéntka)someone who competes
Spanish contendiente, contendedor
- contendientesomeone who competes
- contendedorsomeone who competes
Swedish medtävlare, tävlande
- medtävlaresomeone who competes
- tävlandesomeone who competes
- konkurrentsomeone who competes
Turkish rakip
- rakipsomeone who competes
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with contender
gendervendorsendertenderlenderrenderoffenderfendersurrenderdefenderblenderslendersplendorendersplendourpretendersuspenderengenderrecommendervenderascenderattenderdescenderamender
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
contender. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contender
MLA
“contender.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contender. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contender,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contender.
Source: contender on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.