contented
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con·tent·ed /kən'tentɪd/ adj satisfied; quietly happy: contented cows | a contented smile —ly adv
con·ten·tion /kən'tenʃən/ n 1 [C] a point of view that you argue in favour of; ASSERTION: *I strongly oppose that contention.* | [+that] *It is my contention that the plan would never have been successful.* → see also bone of contention (BONE) 2 [U against, for, with, between] arguing, competing, or struggling between people: *The pay increase is the key point of contention.* | *This issue is no longer in contention.* (=being argued about) | *Losing three matches in a row has put them out of contention for the championship title.* (=they are no longer able to win it)
con·ten·tious /kən'tenʃəs/ adj 1 likely to cause argument; CONTROVERSIAL: *a contentious issue/decision* 2 (of a person) fond of arguing —ly adv —ness n [U]
con·tent·ment /kən'tentmənt/ n [U] quiet happiness; satisfaction: *The cat purred in obvious contentment.* | *the contentment of a well-fed baby*
con·tents /'kɒntents $'kɑːn-/ n [P] 1 [of] that which is contained in something: *He drank the contents of the bottle.* | *The police emptied her bag and examined the contents.* | *The Prime Minister declined to go into details on the contents of his talks with the Chancellor.* 2 a list in a book saying what the book contains: *Look at the contents (page) before you buy the book.* | *the table of contents* → compare CONTENT
con·test¹ /'kɒntest $'kɑːn-/ n 1 a struggle or fight to gain control or advantage: *the contest for leadership of the party* 2 a competition, especially one judged by a group of specially chosen judges: *a beauty contest*
con·test² /kən'test/ v [T] 1 to compete for; fight for: *How many people are contesting the seat on the council?* | *a fiercely contested takeover bid* 2 to argue about the rightness of: *I intend to contest the judge's decision in another court.* | *Her husband has filed for divorce and she's contesting it.*
con·tes·tant /kən'testənt/ n someone competing in a contest: *Tonight's lucky contestants have already been selected from the audience.*
con·text /'kɒntekst $'kɑːn-/ n 1 the parts of a piece of writing, a speech etc which surround a word or passage and which influence or help to explain its meaning: *In some contexts 'mad' means 'foolish', in some 'angry', and in others 'insane'.* | *He was furious that the papers had quoted his remarks completely out of context.* 2 the surrounding conditions in which something takes place: *Look at your own job in the wider context of the whole department.* | *The report should be considered within its social context.*
con·tex·tu·al /kən'tekstʃʊəl/ adj of or according to the context: *This word has a special contextual meaning here.* —ly adv
con·tex·tu·al·ize also -ise BrE /kən'tekstʃʊəlaɪz/ v [T] to put into context —ization /kənˌtekstʊəlaɪ'zeɪʃən $-lə-/ n [U]
Con·ti·board /'kɒntibɔːd $'kɑːntibɔːrd/ trademark a type of board covered in MELAMINE and used for shelves
con·ti·gu·i·ty /ˌkɒntɪ'gjuːɪti $ˌkɑn-/ also con·tig·u·ous·ness /kən'tɪgjuːəsnəs/ n [U to, with] formal nearness; the state of being contiguous
con·tig·u·ous /kən'tɪgjuəs/ adj [to, with] 1 touching; next (to); having a shared border: *England is the only country contiguous to/with Wales.* 2 next to or near in time or order: *contiguous events* —ly adv
con·ti·nent¹ /'kɒntɪnənt $'kɑːn-/ n any of the seven main large masses of land on the Earth: *the European continent* | *the continents of Africa and Asia*
continent² adj formal able to control yourself, especially **a)** your bowels and BLADDER **b)** old use your sexual desires → opposite INCONTINENT —cence n [U]
Continent, the BrE old-fashioned western Europe, not including Britain or Ireland
**CULTURAL NOTE** This expression is based on the old idea that Britain is separate from, and very different from, the rest of Europe. It is typically used when talking about European countries as a place for holidays, but it is now becoming less common.
con·ti·nen·tal¹ /ˌkɒntɪ'nentl $ˌkɑn-/ adj 1 (typical) of a very large mass of land: *a continental climate* | *continental waters* (=the sea round a continent) 2 (of food, ideas, behaviour etc) thought to be typical of other European countries, especially France and Italy. People often use **continental** to describe things they admire and want to copy, such as particular types of food or types of behaviour: *continental food* | *The cafe has tables outside on the pavement – it looks very continental.* 3 the **continental United States/US** all the states of the US except Alaska and Hawaii
continental² n 1 old-fash a person who comes from Europe, but not one from the British Isles 2 not worth a **continental** AmE informal worthless
continental 'breakfast n a light breakfast usually consisting of CROISSANTS or bread rolls, butter, JAM, and coffee, typically eaten in various European countries → compare ENGLISH BREAKFAST
Continental 'Congress, the a group of politicians who represented the original 13 American colonies (COLONY), and met between 1774 and 1789. They made laws for the colonies, and later formed the government of the US. The Continental Congress wrote the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, and its members are often called 'The