contention
a claim or point of disagreement
Roots
- com-: with, together, complete, or intensified
- tend / tens: stretch, strain, or extend
Other words with the tend / tens root
- contend: to struggle or argue for a position
- contentious: likely to cause argument
- detente: easing of tension
- distend: to swell by stretching outward
- tension: strain from being stretched or pulled
Contention is argument under tension: positions are stretched against each other until the disputed point shows.
Her central contention was that the policy solved one problem by creating two more.
Contention can mean conflict, but on exams it often means a claim being argued for. The stretch image helps: a debate pulls ideas tight until one disputed point becomes visible.