contestation
noun
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The Latin phrase lītem contestārī can be translated as "to join issue in a legal suit," which in layperson's terms means to reach the point in a lawsuit when it's clear to the parties involved what the exact nature of the dispute is. Lītem contestārī is the probable ultimate source of both contestation and contest, the latter having first come to English as a verb meaning "to make the subject of dispute, contention, or battle." But while contest has gone on to have a life at home in another part of speech and in contexts ranging from sports to art, contestation continues to dwell mainly in serious speech and writing about adversarial dynamics between groups of people.
Examples of contestation in a Sentence
Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025
There may be more give-and-take within the Beijing-Moscow-Washington triangle, more concessions on small points, and more openness to negotiation and to confidence-building measures in zones of war and contestation.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Papal infallibility, the authority of the bishop of Rome to make a declaration free from error and beyond all contestation, is often misunderstood in popular culture.
—Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Even ostensibly civic nations must deal with ethnic contestation, as witnessed in Canada, India, the United States, and elsewhere.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contestation
Cite this Entry
“Contestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contestation. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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