recent: Sales have fallen by more than 75 percent in recent years.
present-day: Even by present-day standards these were large aircraft.
con|tempt /kənte mpt/
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you have contempt for someone or something, you have no respect for them or think that they are unimportant. □ [+ for ] He has contempt for those beyond his immediate family circle. □ I hope voters will treat his advice with the contempt it deserves.
2 PHRASE If you hold someone or something in contempt , you feel contempt for them. □ Small wonder that many voters hold their politicians in contempt.
3 familiarity breeds contempt → see familiarity
con|tempt|ible /kənte mpt I b ə l/ ADJ If you feel that someone or something is contemptible , you feel strong dislike and disrespect for them. [FORMAL ] □ …this contemptible act of violence.
con|te mpt of cou rt N‑UNCOUNT Contempt of court is the criminal offence of disobeying an instruction from a judge or a court of law. [LEGAL ] □ He faced imprisonment for contempt of court.
con|temp|tu|ous /kənte mptʃuəs/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are contemptuous of someone or something, you do not like or respect them at all. □ [+ of ] He's openly contemptuous of all the major political parties. □ She gave a contemptuous little laugh.
con|tend /kənte nd/ (contends , contending , contended )
1 VERB If you have to contend with a problem or difficulty, you have to deal with it or overcome it. □ [V + with ] It is time, once again, to contend with racism. □ [V + with ] American businesses could soon have a new kind of lawsuit to contend with.
2 VERB If you contend that something is true, you state or argue that it is true. [FORMAL ] □ [V that] The government contends that he is fundamentalist.
3 VERB If you contend with someone for something such as power, you compete with them to try to get it. □ [V + for ] …the two main groups contending for power. □ [V + with ] …with 10 U.K. construction yards contending with rivals from Norway, Holland, Italy and Spain. □ [V -ing] …a binding political settlement between the contending parties.
con|tend|er /kənte ndə r / (contenders ) N‑COUNT A contender is someone who takes part in a competition. [JOURNALISM ] □ [+ for ] Her trainer said yesterday that she would be a strong contender for a place in Britain's Commonwealth squad. [Also + in ]
content
➊ NOUN USES
➋ ADJECTIVE AND VERB USES
➊ con|tent ◆◇◇ /kɒ ntent/ (contents )
1 N‑PLURAL The contents of a container such as a bottle, box, or room are the things that are inside it. □ [+ of ] Empty the contents of the pan into the sieve. □ Sandon Hall and its contents will be auctioned by Sotheby's on October 6.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to the content or contents of something such as a book, speech, or television programme, you are referring to the subject that it deals with, the story that it tells, or the ideas that it expresses. □ [+ of ] She is reluctant to discuss the content of the play. □ The letter's contents were not disclosed.
3 N‑PLURAL The contents of a book are its different chapters and sections, usually shown in a list at the beginning of the book. □ There is no initial list of contents.
4 N‑UNCOUNT The content of something such as an educational course or a programme of action is the elements that it consists of. □ Previous students have had nothing but praise for the course content and staff.
5 N‑SING [n N ] You can use content to refer to the amount or proportion of something that a substance contains. □ Sunflower margarine has the same fat content as butter.
➋ con|tent /kənte nt/ (contents , contenting , contented )
→ Please look at category 4 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ , ADJ to-inf] If you are content with something, you are willing to accept it, rather than wanting something more or something better. □ [+ with ] I'm perfectly content with the way the campaign has gone. □ [+ with ] Not content with rescuing one theatre, Sally Green has taken on another.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are content , you are fairly happy or satisfied. □ He says his daughter is quite content.
3 VERB If you content yourself with something, you accept it and do not try to do or have other things. □ [V pron-refl + with ] He wisely contented himself with his family and his love of nature. □ [V pron-refl + with/by ] Most manufacturers content themselves with updating existing models.
4 to your heart's content → see heart
con|tent|ed /kənte nt I d/ ADJ If you are contented , you are satisfied with your life or the situation you are in. □ Whenever he returns to this place he is happy and contented. □ She was gazing at him with a soft, contented smile on her face.
con|ten|tion /kənte nʃ ə n/ (contentions )
1 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Someone's contention is the idea or opinion that they are expressing in an argument or discussion. □ This evidence supports their contention that the outbreak of violence was prearranged.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [usu n of N ] If something is a cause of contention , it is a cause of disagreement or argument. □ A particular source of contention is plans to privatise state-run companies.