善戦(ぜんせん)

ぜんせん
noun/suru-verb
good fight; putting up a good fight
1. good fight; putting up a good fight
fighting well or performing admirably, especially against a stronger opponent or in difficult circumstances
善戦(ぜんせん)したが、負(ま)けてしまった。
We put up a good fight but lost.
格上(かくうえ)の相手(あいて)に善戦(ぜんせん)した。
They put up a good fight against a superior opponent.
新人(しんじん)チームの善戦(ぜんせん)が話題(わだい)になった。
The rookie team's strong performance became a talking point.

善戦(ぜんせん) describes fighting well or performing admirably, often despite not winning.

COMPOSITION:

  • 善(ぜん): Good, virtuous
  • 戦(せん): Battle, fight

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 善戦(ぜんせん)する (to put up a good fight)
  • 善戦(ぜんせん)むなしく (despite putting up a good fight)
  • 善戦(ぜんせん)を称(たた)える (to praise someone's good fight)

USAGE NOTES:

  • Often used when the result was a loss but the performance was praiseworthy
  • Common in sports commentary
  • Implies the fight was respectable even if unsuccessful

RELATED TERMS:

  • 奮闘(ふんとう) (hard struggle - more emphasis on effort)
  • 健闘(けんとう) (good fight - nearly synonymous)
  • 惜敗(せきはい) (narrow defeat - focus on close loss)
  • 接戦(せっせん) (close game - focus on competitiveness)

REGISTER: Neutral. Common in sports and competition contexts.

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Added 2026.1.22 14:13
07500/07902_zensen