contradict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
contradicts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contradicted,
past participle, past
-
contradicting
present participle
-
to assert the contrary or opposite of; deny directly and categorically.
- Synonyms:
- dispute, controvert, impugn, gainsay
- Antonyms:
- support
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to speak contrary to the assertions of.
to contradict oneself.
- Synonyms:
- dispute, controvert, impugn, gainsay
-
(of an action or event) to imply a denial of.
His way of life contradicts his stated principles.
-
Obsolete. to speak or declare against; oppose.
verb (used without object)
-
contradicts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contradicted,
past participle, past
-
contradicting
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to affirm the opposite of (a proposition, statement, etc)
-
(tr) to declare (a proposition, statement, etc) to be false or incorrect; deny
-
(intr) to be argumentative or contrary
-
(tr) to be inconsistent with (a proposition, theory, etc)
the facts contradicted his theory
-
(intr) (of two or more facts, principles, etc) to be at variance; be in contradiction
Synonym Usage
See deny.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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contradicternoun
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contradictivenessnoun
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contradictornoun
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contradictableadjective
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contradictiveadjective
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uncontradictableadjective
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uncontradictedadjective
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contradictivelyadverb
-
uncontradictablyadverb
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uncontradictedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
contradictsimple
-
contradictssimple
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have contradictedperfect
-
has contradictedperfect
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am contradictingprogressive
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are contradictingprogressive
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is contradictingprogressive
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have been contradictingperfect progressive
-
has been contradictingperfect progressive
Past
-
contradictedsimple
-
had contradictedperfect
-
was contradictingprogressive
-
were contradictingprogressive
-
had been contradictingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contradict
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin contrādictus “spoken against,” past participle of contrādīcere “to gainsay, speak against,” from contrā- contra- 1 ( def. ) + dīcere “to say, speak, tell”
Explanation
"Contra-" usually means "against," and to contradict is to go against or say the opposite of what someone else is doing or saying. Sometimes to contradict is to frustrate with words, like when one person says "The sky is blue" and another says "No, it's azure." Denying or distorting the truth is a big part of trying to contradict. It can be harmless verbal back-and-forth, like when a husband and wife disagree just to disagree, or contradict each other to make a humorous point, but at other times people contradict something to make another person look like a liar. Often, a person who has lied will later contradict himself by saying something different from what he said earlier — and sometimes the two sides contradict each other, and neither is actually right.
Vocabulary lists containing contradict
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But opposition politicians said the newly released material contradict that claim.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Sussexes said they didn’t sign off on the letter, which appeared to contradict Buckingham Palace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Werb argued that "outside support does not necessarily contradict the bloc's sovereigntist stance".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Now, 12 years and many political lifetimes later, they read as quaint and out-of-touch, like a grandfather telling his grandson to never contradict his betters.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Luxa glared at the old man but didn’t contradict him.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
What’s absolutely fascinating, and totally on-brand, is how Marsh contradicts, criticizes and updates himself between the various books.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
This contradicts recent theories of some analysts that the capacity expansion by the likes of SK Hynix might lead to oversupply and lower prices.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
But a return to war also contradicts positions he has publicly taken against open-ended conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The other says it contradicts civil rights laws.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
“It almost contradicts itself,” she says after a moment.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The advisers’ positive outlook, however, was somewhat contradicted by their concern regarding specific policy risks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
That was disputed by Arkady Dvorkovich, who told the BBC in written answers, that "accusations about 'Russian influence' are false and contradicted by how Fide is governed."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Xiao’s reveal drove the Americans to openly lambast each other, as one official dismissed Xiao’s assessments, only to be contradicted by colleagues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
She danced and sinned and regretted and atoned, and then contradicted herself by doing it all over again.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
This was the first evidence we presented that suggested that people in law enforcement had been so focused on convicting Walter that they were prepared to ignore or even hide evidence that contradicted their case.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
A former employee testified on Wednesday that some of Meta's safety tools for Facebook and Instagram were "designed to fail," contradicting the company's defense strategy in a landmark trial in California.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
County prosecutor, accused Hochman of contradicting himself, questioning the D.A.’s efforts to justify the officers’ coarse language.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
And there was no technical fault with the aircraft, the report said - contradicting an early statement by the Bangladeshi Armed Forces that the jet had experienced a mechanical fault after taking off.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In 1974, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes radiate heat and can eventually evaporate, apparently erasing all information about what fell into them — contradicting the quantum principle that evolution must preserve information.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
Della Porta must have realized that he was contradicting himself.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
