contested
Loading your saved state.
closely contested
Describes a situation, especially in sports or competition, in which both sides fight with great effort for victory and the outcome is uncertain.
Es war ein hart umkämpftes Spiel, das erst in der letzten Minute entschieden wurde.
It was a hard-fought game that was only decided in the last minute.
'umkämpft' (contested) is the past participle of the inseparable verb 'umkämpfen' (to fight over/contest). It consists of the prefix 'um' (here in the sense of 'for' or 'around something') and the verb 'kämpfen' (to fight).
Der erste Platz in der Meisterschaft war bis zum letzten Tag hart umkämpft.
First place in the championship was closely contested until the final day.
As an adjective, 'umkämpft' (contested) can stand before a noun or be used with a verb like 'sein' (to be). The meaning does not change.
Das war ein umkämpfter Sieg für unsere Mannschaft.
That was a hard-fought victory for our team.
The context makes clear what is being fought over. Words like 'Spiel' (game) or 'Sieg' (victory) point to sports, 'Markt' (market) or 'Kunden' (customers) to business, and 'Gebiet' (area) or 'Stadt' (city) to a military conflict.
Der Markt für Elektroautos ist besonders stark umkämpft.
The market for electric cars is particularly competitive.
In sports, 'umkämpft' (closely contested) is often intensified by adverbs. Common combinations are 'hart umkämpft' (hard-fought), 'heftig umkämpft' (fiercely contested), or 'lange umkämpft' (contested for a long time).
Nach einem langen und hart umkämpften Match gewann sie schließlich das Turnier.
After a long and hard-fought match, she finally won the tournament.
scarce / just under / close
'knapp' and 'umkämpft' can both occur in sports or competitions. 'knapp' mainly describes the result: the difference between the sides is very small. 'umkämpft' describes the course of events: both sides fight hard, and for a long time it is not clear who will win. Learners may confuse the words because an 'umkämpftes Spiel' (closely contested game) often also ends 'knapp' (close). But the focus is different: 'knapp' says something about the margin, while 'umkämpft' says something about the effort and the tough competition.
Am Abend war das Finale bis zur letzten Minute umkämpft.
In the evening, the final was closely contested until the last minute.
Hat unser Team das Spiel wirklich nur knapp gewonnen?
Did our team really win the game by only a narrow margin?