contradiction

American  

[kon-truh-dik-shuhn] / ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk ʃən /

noun

1. the act of contradicting; gainsaying or opposition.

2. assertion of the contrary or opposite; denial.

3. a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.

4. direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency.

5. a contradictory act, fact, etc.

---

contradiction British  

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃən /

noun

1. the act of going against; opposition; denial

2. a declaration of the opposite or contrary

3. a statement that is at variance with itself (often in the phrase a contradiction in terms )

4. conflict or inconsistency, as between events, qualities, etc

5. a person or thing containing conflicting qualities

6. logic a statement that is false under all circumstances; necessary falsehood

---

Other Word Forms

• intercontradiction noun

Etymology

Origin of contradiction

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English contradiccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin contrādictiōn-, stem of contrādictiō “counterargument, objection, reply”; equivalent to contradict + -ion

Example Sentences

Ms. Stepanova attends to the contradictions of her premise with humor and an easily worn intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

To explore this contradiction, researchers analyzed 196 overnight recordings from 44 healthy adults.

From Science Daily

Educators at K-12 and university campuses are rewriting lesson plans, reframing discussions and preparing for difficult conversations with students about the labor leader’s life and contradictions.

From Los Angeles Times

India's youth story is a study in contradictions - of abundance and scarcity, promise and drift.

From BBC

He is no stranger to controversy, or contradiction.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• conflict
• difference
• disagreement
• discrepancy
• dispute
• inconsistency