glscz

1 contention
--------1 [countable] formal a strong opinion that someone expresses

somebody's contention that
Her main contention is that doctors should do more to encourage healthy eating.

--------2 [uncountable] formal argument and disagreement between people

source/area/point of contention
The issue of hunting is a source of contention.

--------3 in contention

having a chance of winning something:
Owen's goal kept England in contention.

--------4 out of contention

no longer having a chance of winning something:
Injury has put him out of contention for the title.

2 contentious adj
-------1 causing a lot of argument and disagreement between people

contentious issue/area/subject etc
Animal welfare did not become a contentious issue until the late 1970s.

-------2 someone who is contentious often argues with people
—contentiously adv

3 conundrum
--------1 a confusing and difficult problem:
the conundrum of our purpose on earth

--------2 a trick question asked for fun [= riddle]

4 conventional
-------1 [only before noun] a conventional method, product, practice etc has been used for a long time and is considered the usual type:
Internet connections through conventional phone lines are fairly slow.
Bake for 20 minutes in a conventional oven; 8 in a microwave.

-------2 always following the behaviour and attitudes that most people in a society consider to be normal, right, and socially acceptable, so that you seem slightly boring:
a strong believer in conventional morals

conventional in
He is conventional in his approach to life.

-------3 (the) conventional wisdom
the opinion that most people consider to be normal and right, but that is sometimes shown to be wrong:
As traffic grew, the conventional wisdom was to widen the roads.

-------4 [only before noun] conventional weapons and wars do not use nuclear explosives or weapons:
conventional forces

-------5 conventional medicine
the usual form of medicine practised in most European and North American countries [= western medicine]
—conventionally adverb
—conventionality noun [uncountable]

5 convoluted
-------1 complicated and difficult to understand:
long paragraphs and convoluted sentences
The argument is rather convoluted.

-------2 formal having many twists and bends:
a tightly-coiled convoluted tube

6 craven
formal completely lacking courage [= cowardly]:
He had a craven fear of flying.
—cravenly adv

7 decorum
formal behaviour that shows respect and is correct for a particular situation, especially a formal occasion:
He was disciplined for breaching the Senate's rules of decorum.

8 deference
polite behaviour that shows that you respect someone and are therefore willing to accept their opinions or judgment

deference to
Lewis was annoyed that Adam did not show enough respect and deference to him.

out of/in deference to something (=because you respect someone's beliefs, opinions etc)
They were married in church out of deference to their parents' wishes.
—deferential adjective:
deferential treatment

—deferentially adverb

9 delineate
--------1 to describe or draw something carefully so that people can understand it:
The document delineates your rights and your obligations.

--------2 to make the borders between two areas very clear:
The boundaries of these areas should be clearly delineated.

—delineation noun [uncountable]

10 denigrate
to say things to make someone or something seem less important or good:
people who denigrate their own country

—denigration noun [uncountable]