Synonyms

contradict

American

[kon-truh-dikt] / ˌkɒn trəˈdɪkt /

verb (used with object)

to assert the contrary or opposite of; deny directly and categorically.

Synonyms:

dispute, controvert, impugn, gainsay

Antonyms:

support
to speak contrary to the assertions of.

to contradict oneself.

Synonyms:

dispute, controvert, impugn, gainsay
(of an action or event) to imply a denial of.

His way of life contradicts his stated principles.
Obsolete. to speak or declare against; oppose.

verb (used without object)

to utter a contrary statement.

contradict British

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkt /

verb

(tr) to affirm the opposite of (a proposition, statement, etc)
(tr) to declare (a proposition, statement, etc) to be false or incorrect; deny
(intr) to be argumentative or contrary
(tr) to be inconsistent with (a proposition, theory, etc)

the facts contradicted his theory
(intr) (of two or more facts, principles, etc) to be at variance; be in contradiction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See deny.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of contradict

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin contrādictus “spoken against,” past participle of contrādīcere “to gainsay, speak against,” from contrā- contra- ¹ ( def. ) + dīcere “to say, speak, tell”

Explanation

"Contra-" usually means "against," and to contradict is to go against or say the opposite of what someone else is doing or saying. Sometimes to contradict is to frustrate with words, like when one person says "The sky is blue" and another says "No, it's azure." Denying or distorting the truth is a big part of trying to contradict. It can be harmless verbal back-and-forth, like when a husband and wife disagree just to disagree, or contradict each other to make a humorous point, but at other times people contradict something to make another person look like a liar. Often, a person who has lied will later contradict himself by saying something different from what he said earlier — and sometimes the two sides contradict each other, and neither is actually right.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing contradict

The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1

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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

contradict contradicts contradicted contradicting

Notably, no-one in the squad moved to contradict Uruguay's all-time leading scorer.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

The retailer called the plaintiffs’ argument “fatally flawed,” adding, “Plaintiffs’ own sources contradict it, the regulations of the U.S.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, Iran continues to contradict U.S. assertions of progress toward a deal, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

First, revenues across the AI ecosystem have surged, which seems to contradict the bears’ worries about data-center profitability.

From Barron's ● May 23, 2026

Travis considered the proposition tentatively, not wanting to contradict his idol, but realizing he might have no choice.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

This contradicts recent theories of some analysts that the capacity expansion by the likes of SK Hynix might lead to oversupply and lower prices.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

He says he has ‘evidence that directly contradicts those baseless claims.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

They are adamant that the decision contradicts the tournament regulations which state that a player "will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match".

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

But a return to war also contradicts positions he has publicly taken against open-ended conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Then he contradicts himself and says, Freedom is the greatest of all ideals.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

The advisers’ positive outlook, however, was somewhat contradicted by their concern regarding specific policy risks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

She danced and sinned and regretted and atoned, and then contradicted herself by doing it all over again.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

And, more troublingly, Marina’s belief that he died in 1987 is contradicted by relatives, who insist that it was five years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Judge Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case, said the evidence presented against them was "neither shaken nor contradicted during cross examination".

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

I haven’t contradicted my father on any subject, ever.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

In March, Jefferies analyst Surinder Thind said he’d seen no evidence of a recovery in customer appetite, directly contradicting management’s upbeat commentary.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

In 1974, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes radiate heat and can eventually evaporate, apparently erasing all information about what fell into them — contradicting the quantum principle that evolution must preserve information.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026

The lawsuit claims The Atlantic went ahead with their story “despite being expressly warned, hours before publication, that the central allegations were categorically false” and “despite having abundant publicly available information contradicting those allegations.”

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026

"It becomes very dark when religion is used to justify immoral behaviour... using religion to justify especially dropping bombs is contradicting what the faith is about," says Bishop Strickland.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Hynning took offense that I was now contradicting him, while General Steyn watched and listened without comment.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023