contradict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to assert the contrary or opposite of; deny directly and categorically.
- Synonyms:
- dispute, controvert, impugn, gainsay
- Antonyms:
- support
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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.
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Obsolete. to speak or declare against; oppose.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to affirm the opposite of (a proposition, statement, etc)
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(tr) to declare (a proposition, statement, etc) to be false or incorrect; deny
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(intr) to be argumentative or contrary
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(tr) to be inconsistent with (a proposition, theory, etc)
the facts contradicted his theory
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(intr) (of two or more facts, principles, etc) to be at variance; be in contradiction
Synonym Usage
See deny.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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contradictiveadjective
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uncontradictedlyadverb
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contradictivelyadverb
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contradictornoun
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uncontradictedadjective
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contradictableadjective
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contradictivenessnoun
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uncontradictablyadverb
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contradicternoun
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uncontradictableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has contradictedperfect 3rd person singular
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have contradictedperfect
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is contradictingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am contradictingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been contradictingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been contradictingperfect progressive
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contradictssingular 3rd person
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are contradictingprogressive
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contradictingparticiple
Past
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had contradictedperfect
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had been contradictingperfect progressive
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was contradictingprogressive singular
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contradictedparticiple
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were contradictingprogressive plural
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contradictedsimple
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.
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.
Contradict your partner in front of the children when he or she is trying to discipline them or teach them a different way of doing things.
From The Guardian • Aug. 14, 2015
Contradict every word I said to you about that brute and blackguard, the doctor—and you will have the truth.
From Blind Love by Collins, Wilkie
Contradict the lessons that Nature has taught them?
From The Mantooth by Leadem, Christopher
Contradict the rumour of your attachment to Charteris, not by words—it has gone too far for that—but by becoming my wife.
From The Philanderer by Shaw, Bernard
Contradict me not, I say, goodman, and pervert not the Scriptures with thy famulistical interpretations.
From The Knight of the Golden Melice A Historical Romance by Adams, John Turvill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
