contestant vs starter

contestant and starter both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
contestant	Yes	No	No	No
starter	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, starter is a hyponym of contestant; that is, starter is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than contestant:

contestant (noun)	starter (noun)
a person who participates in competitions	a culture containing yeast or bacteria that is used to start the process of fermentation or souring in making butter or cheese or dough
a person who dissents from some established policy	a hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel handle
	an electric motor for starting an engine
	food or drink to stimulate the appetite (usually served before a meal or as the first course)
	any new participant in some activity
	the official who signals the beginning of a race or competition
	a contestant in a team sport who is in the game at the beginning