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contradistinction

American  
[kon-truh-di-stingk-shuhn] / ˌkɒn trə dɪˈstɪŋk ʃən /

noun

  1. distinction by opposition or contrast.

    plants and animals in contradistinction to humans.
contradistinction British  
/ ˌkɒntrədɪˈstɪŋkʃən /

noun

  1. a distinction made by contrasting different qualities

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of contradistinction

First recorded in 1640–50; contra- 1 ( def. ) + distinction

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.