abandon vs contend

abandon

verb
  • To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions. 

  • To no longer exercise a right, title, or interest, especially with no interest of reclaiming it again; to yield; to relinquish. 

  • To desist in doing, practicing, following, holding, or adhering to; to turn away from; to permit to lapse; to renounce; to discontinue. 

  • To leave behind; to desert, as in a ship, a position, or a person, typically in response to overwhelming odds or impending dangers; to forsake, in spite of a duty or responsibility. 

  • To surrender to the insurer (an insured item), so as to claim a total loss. 

noun
  • A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences. 

contend

verb
  • To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend. 

  • To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight. 

  • To be in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue. 

  • To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate. 

  • contend with: To try to cope with a difficulty or problem. 

How often have the words abandon and contend occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )