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

Etymology

Origin of contradictory

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

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

Mr. Morris said in a statement that such music “happens to be vast, contradictory, and full of invention, so there’s plenty to work with.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

"Markets are once again being forced to trade two seemingly contradictory stories on the same screen," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

The researchers say these seemingly contradictory cosmological puzzles may actually point toward the same conclusion.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

This Juneteenth, we should try to confront and reclaim this holiday’s contradictory history, in all its facets.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

We are perturbing our poor planet in serious and contradictory ways.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

The animal and the spiritual are not contradictories; they are the complements in the perfect character; and in the middle ages, as in all ages of genuine earnestness, interfused and penetrated each other.

From Froude's Essays in Literature and History With Introduction by Hilaire Belloc by Belloc, Hilaire

Its mathematical expres ion shows that it does not relate to contradictories.

From The Religious Sentiment Its Source and Aim: A Contribution to the Science and Philosophy of Religion by Brinton, Daniel Garrison

Hegelianism was, in principle, the identity of contradictories, the identity of truth and error, of good and evil.

From The War Upon Religion Being an Account of the Rise and Progress of Anti-christianism in Europe by Cunningham, Francis A. (Francis Aloysius)

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 Minto, William

Both the above theses are false; yet Free Will and Determinism are both true, and in a completely known universe would cease to be contradictories.

From Life and Matter A Criticism of Professor Haeckel's 'Riddle of the Universe' by Lodge, Oliver, Sir

Related Words

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