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
-
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
-
have contradictedperfect
-
has contradictedperfect
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am contradictingprogressive
-
are contradictingprogressive
-
is contradictingprogressive
-
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:
Bennu's boulder-covered surface appeared to contradict those earlier measurements, leaving researchers with a puzzling question: How could an asteroid covered in massive rocks cool so quickly?
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
In Compernolle’s view, the recent selling could still easily reverse if upcoming economic data contradict Wednesday’s strong S&P manufacturing data.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
No one knows, but the observable facts don’t contradict his guess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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
The answer is that it does not matter what you think, the monster said, because your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each day.
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
"For example, when what you see contradicts with what you hear, do you still use the same kind of mechanisms to reconcile these two?" she wonders.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
The 1958 Group's allegation, which has been voiced by other fan groups, contradicts United's own comments on Friday that state they did advise fans what they were being accused of.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
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 Judge Crenshaw’s conclusion, as he found that email communications between McGuire and the DOJ suggested there was some level of coordination between the two.
From Slate ● Aug. 23, 2026
“What you’re saying contradicts what I see and hear every day in my company,” said Ziegfried, a tall, bald-headed German who worked as senior manager for a large German electronics company in Johannesburg.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Mickelson hired defamation attorney Tom Clare, who said video evidence contradicted the allegations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
The advisers’ positive outlook, however, was somewhat contradicted by their concern regarding specific policy risks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
She danced and sinned and regretted and atoned, and then contradicted herself by doing it all over again.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Judge Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case, said the evidence presented against them was "neither shaken nor contradicted during cross examination".
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Whatever it was, it contradicted the very feeling of safety that had conjured the thought of him to start with.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
“Where even, contradicting ideas held together at the same time is often just interesting, at the very least, and then you can sort of finesse interesting into funny, at a certain point.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Watkins said Flynn later told investigators he had not been to the garage, contradicting his earlier statement.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
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
That decision, cutting short the process and contradicting his earlier assurances of due process, shocked Mr. Khan’s own staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Its editors decided that contradicting the beliefs of prominent citizens was a risk they shouldn’t take.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
