contradictory

[ kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree ]
See synonyms for: contradictorycontradictoriescontradictorily on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite: contradictory statements.

  2. tending or inclined to contradict.

noun,plural con·tra·dic·to·ries.
  1. Logic. a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.

Origin of contradictory

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin contrādictōrius; equivalent to contradict + -ory1

Other words for contradictory

Other words from contradictory

  • con·tra·dic·to·ri·ly, adverb
  • con·tra·dic·to·ri·ness, noun
  • in·ter·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective
  • non·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural non·con·tra·dic·to·ries.
  • un·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective

Words Nearby contradictory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use contradictory in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contradictory

contradictory

/ (ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ) /


adjective
  1. inconsistent; incompatible

  2. given to argument and contention: a contradictory person

  1. logic (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstances: Compare contrary (def. 5), subcontrary (def. 1)

nounplural -ries
  1. logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true or false when it is false

Derived forms of contradictory

  • contradictorily, adverb
  • contradictoriness, noun

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