different between struggle vs contest

English

Alternative forms

• stroggell, strogell (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English struglen, stroglen, strogelen, of obscure origin. Cognate with Scots strugil (“to struggle, grapple, contend”). Perhaps from a variant of *strokelen, *stroukelen (> English stroll), from Middle Dutch struyckelen ("to stumble, trip, falter"; > Modern Dutch struikelen), the frequentative form of Old Dutch *str?kon (“to stumble”), from Proto-Germanic *str?k?n?, *str?k?n? (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European *strug-, *ster- (“to be stiff; to bristle, strut, stumble, fall”), related to Middle Low German strûkelen ("to stumble"; > Low German strükeln), Old High German str?hh?n, str?hh?n ("to stumble, trip, tumble, go astray"; > German strauchen, straucheln).

Alternative etymology derives the base of struggle from Old Norse strúgr (“arrogance, pride, spitefulness, ill-will”) + -le (frequentative suffix), from Proto-Germanic *str?kaz (“stiff, rigid”), ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European root above, which would make it cognate with dialectal Swedish strug (“contention, strife, discord”), Norwegian stru (“obstinate, unruly”), Danish struende (“reluctantly”), Scots strug (“difficulty, perplexity, a laborious task”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?str???l/, [?st???l?]
• Hyphenation: strug?gle
• Rhymes: -???l

Noun

struggle (plural struggles)

1. A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
2. (figuratively) Strife, contention, great effort.

Derived terms

• class struggle
• power struggle

Translations

Verb

struggle (third-person singular simple present struggles, present participle struggling, simple past and past participle struggled)

1. To strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight (for or against), to contend.
2. To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Translations

Anagrams

• gurglets

English

Etymology

From French contester, from Old French, from Latin contestor (“to call to witness”).

Pronunciation

Noun

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?n.t?st/
• (US) enPR: k?n't?st, IPA^(key): /?k?n.t?st/
• Rhymes: -?nt?st

Verb

• (UK, US) enPR: k?nt?st', IPA^(key): /k?n?t?st/
• Rhymes: -?st

Noun

contest (countable and uncountable, plural contests)

1. (uncountable) Controversy; debate.

   Synonyms: controversy, debate, discussion

2. (uncountable) Struggle for superiority; combat.

   Synonyms: battle, combat, fight

3. (countable) A competition.

   Synonyms: competition, pageant

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

contest (third-person singular simple present contests, present participle contesting, simple past and past participle contested)

1. (intransitive) To contend.

   Synonyms: compete, contend, go in for

   • 1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth

     As for the difficulty or obscurity of an argument, that does but add to the pleasure.of contesting with it when there are hopes of victory

2. (transitive) To call into question; to oppose.

   Synonyms: call into question, oppose

   Antonym: support

   • 1848, John Daniel Morell, Historical and Critical View of the Speculative Philosophy of Europe in the Nineteenth Century

     Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequently repeated, few more contested than this.

3. (transitive) To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend.

4. (law) To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist, as a claim, by course of law.

   Synonym: controvert

Translations

Anagrams

• Consett, Cottens