contradictory

American  

[kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree] / ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk tə ri /

adjective

1. asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite.

   contradictory statements.

   Synonyms:

   paradoxical, irreconcilable

2. tending or inclined to contradict.

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noun

• contradictories
  plural

1. Logic. a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.

contradictory British  

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ /

adjective

1. inconsistent; incompatible

2. given to argument and contention

   a contradictory person

3. logic (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstances Compare contrary subcontrary

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• contradictoriness
  noun
• intercontradictory
  adjective
• noncontradictory
  adjective
• uncontradictory
  adjective
• contradictorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contradictories
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of contradictory

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

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Explanation

A contradictory statement is one that says two things that cannot both be true. An example: My sister is jealous of me because I'm an only child. Contradictory is related to the verb contradict, which means to say or do the opposite, and contrary, which means to take an opposite view. When witnesses give contradictory accounts of crimes—one saying the assailant had a knife and the other a gun—police officers often assume that at least one of the witnesses is lying.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contradictory contradictories

Although many fathers in the study died from preventable causes, researchers also uncovered a seemingly contradictory finding.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

In a post on Telegram, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged Trump's rejection, but accused the president of previously making contradictory statements.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

In true Tove Lo fashion, the surrounding serene village made her turn to the familiar sounds of heavy club electronica, further building on the contradictory ethos that comprises “Estrus.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Given all these contradictory findings, it’s tempting just to give up on rational explanations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Instead, the old Ionians represent a different and largely contradictory tradition, one in much better accord with modern science.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Now the assertion that of such contradictories 'the negative is only an abstraction of the other'—'is nothing else than its negation'—is not true.

From Know the Truth; A critique of the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation by Jesse H. Jones

Not for the first time in history we have to seek the truth in the reconciliation, or at least the cohabitation, of apparent contradictories.

From Progress and History by Francis Sydney Marvin

The much-lauded Hegelian philosophy is the system of Democritus, with the addition of a little more absurdity in the assertion of the identity of contradictories.

From A Hero and Some Other Folks by William A. (William Alfred) Quayle

Did the 'law of sharing' so little legitimate their procedure that a law of identity of contradictories, forsooth, must be trumped up to give it scope?

From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James

Not "All S is P," not "No S is P," not "Some S is P," not "Some S is not P," are equivalent respectively to contradictories of the propositions thus negatived.

From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by William Minto

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Related Words

• antithetical
• conflicting
• contrary
• incompatible
• inconsistent
• paradoxical

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