Contestée

Contestée is a French feminine past participle and adjective meaning "disputed" or "challenged." It agrees with the feminine noun it modifies (the masculine form is contesté, the feminine plural is contestées, and the masculine plural is contestés). The term derives from the verb contester, meaning to dispute or oppose.

In use, contestée appears in political, administrative, and legal contexts. In politics, an élection contestée is one whose results or conduct have been questioned by opponents, sometimes leading to recounts or court challenges. In law, a décision contestée refers to a ruling that has been appealed or formally challenged; the noun contestation denotes an act of challenging a position, decision, will, contract, or tax assessment.

The term is neutral and descriptive, signaling that a claim or outcome has faced opposition rather than implying misconduct. Common collocations include proposition contestée, théorie contestée, and hypothèse contestée, used to indicate disputed ideas within academic or public discourse. Because it’s an adjective, contestée commonly appears alongside feminine nouns such as décision, élection, théorie, or hypothèse, while its masculine counterpart conteste the same with masculine nouns.