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Surmise vs Contend - What's the difference?

surmise | contend |

As verbs the difference between surmise and contend

is that surmise is while contend is to strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.

surmise

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Thought, imagination, or conjecture, which may be based upon feeble or scanty evidence; suspicion; guess.
  • surmises of jealousy or of envy
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • No man ought to be charged with principles he actually disowns, unless his practices contradict his profession; not upon small surmises .
  • * 1919 ,
  • The meeting had been devoid of incident. No word had been said to give me anything to think about, and any surmises I might make were unwarranted. I was intrigued.
  • Reflection; thought; posit.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Verb

    (surmis)
  • To conjecture, to opine or to posit with contestable premises.
  • 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