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Contend vs Wrangle - What's the difference?

contend | wrangle |

As verbs the difference between contend and wrangle

is that contend is to strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight while wrangle is to bicker, or quarrel angrily and noisily.

As a noun wrangle is

an act of wrangling.

contend

English

(Webster 1913)

Verb

(en verb)
  • to strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
  • * Bible, Deuteronomy ii. 9
  • The Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle.
  • * Shakespeare
  • For never two such kingdoms did contend without much fall of blood.
  • to struggle or exert one's self to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
  • * Dryden
  • You sit above, and see vain men below / Contend for what you only can bestow.
  • to strive in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.
  • * John Locke
  • The question which our author would contend for.
  • * Dr H. More
  • Many things he fiercely contended about were trivial.

    Synonyms

    * struggle, fight, combat, vie, strive, oppose, emulate, contest, litigate, dispute, debate

    wrangle

    English

    Verb

    (wrangl)
  • To bicker, or quarrel angrily and noisily.
  • * Shakespeare
  • For a score of kingdoms you should wrangle .
  • * Addison
  • He did not know what it was to wrangle on indifferent points.
  • to herd horses or other livestock
  • To involve in a quarrel or dispute; to embroil.
  • * Bishop Robert Sanderson
  • When we have wrangled ourselves as long as our wits and strengths will serve us, the honest, downright sober English Protestant will be found in the end the man that walketh in the safest way, and by the surest line.
  • I don't know how, but she managed to wrangle us four front row seats at tonight's game.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * wrangler

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act of wrangling.
  • An angry dispute.
  • See also

    * wangle