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

The world's largest crypto exchange by daily trading volumes posted a series of sometimes contradictory messages on X, insisting that "user funds are completely safe" but also saying it would "cover all losses".

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Life is made up of both, just as sadness and contentment are not contradictory emotions but things people feel together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

This seemingly contradictory result suggests that LPC70 may help the body use available arachidonic acid more efficiently to produce prostaglandins under high-salt conditions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 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

Even harder was the threat, or the confusion of feeling contradictory things.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

But we cannot, even in thought, unite such contradictories, such discordant elements; any more than we can reduce the strident sounds of a multitude of cacophonous instruments to one harmonious and beautiful melody.

From The Purpose of the Papacy by John S. (John Stephen) Vaughan

Reformation and revolution are "contraries" though not perhaps "contradictories."

From Rebuilding Britain A Survey of Problems of Reconstruction After the World War by Sir Alfred Hopkinson

They are contradictories, that is, one must be, to the exclusion of the other.

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

The universe, said the Pythagoreans, is composed of pairs of opposites and contradictories, and the fundamental character of these opposites is that they are composed of the odd and even.

From A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by W. T. (Walter Terence) Stace

Not by reason, for two contradictories in the same subject are impossible.

From A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy by Isaac Husik

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Related Words

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

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