The phrase "a central contention" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the main argument or point of focus in a debate, essay, or discussion.
Example: "The author's main thesis revolves around a central contention that climate change is primarily driven by human activity."
Alternatives: "a key argument" or "a primary claim."
Her culpability is a central contention of "Saving Africa's Witch Children," a documentary that will make its American debut Wednesday on HBO2.
A central contention of both suits is that Congress has no power under the Constitution to compel individuals to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.
The accounts of Ms. Lewinsky and Ms. Tripp, for example, could bolster a central contention of Ms. Jones's case, if they support the notion of a pattern and practice of licentious behavior on the part of the President.
A central contention of the anti-Russian crowd holds that Georgia today would have been saved, if only the west had the courage to admit the country into Nato at once.
Earnest reiterated a central contention Obama has often made about the root causes of Iraq's latest crisis – one that tacitly hinges lethal aid, which has been requested by the Iraqi government, on major Iraqi political reforms.
While the defendants in the present case do not rely on that proposition as a central contention, the evidence in the record and all reasonable inferences to be drawn in favor of defendants indicate the grave harm to education that is occurring where coursepack copiers are required to obtain permission and pay permission fees for the students' use of each excerpt.
That was seen by the former governor's lawyers and other supporters as a signal that their central contention — that he was wrongly convicted for ordinary political activity — has hope of prevailing.
Last week, as Portugal became the third country in Europe, after Greece and Ireland, to petition the European Union for a financial bailout, Mr. Osborne was vocal in underscoring his central contention as a deficit hawk: that in this new debt-averse era, no country has the luxury of delaying the painful steps needed to balance government books.
Yet there is also a consensus that Mr. Tsipras's central contention — the second bailout deal is unworkable and needs to be replaced — is basically right.
If the basic elements of the story have a familiar ring, it is because Clark's central contention — that the Bush Administration used September 11th as a pretext to attack Saddam — has been part of the public debate, much discussed in many publications and broadcasts, since well before the Iraq war.
The listless White Sox were eliminated from A.L. Central contention, but they have a dangerous lineup, and their hitters were baffled by Contreras.
