contradict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
verb
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(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
-
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
-
uncontradictedadjective
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contradictivelyadverb
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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
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has been contradictingperfect progressive
Past
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contradictedsimple
-
had contradictedperfect
-
was contradictingprogressive
-
were contradictingprogressive
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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:
We will always contradict ourselves—and will do so in contradictory ways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
The retailer called the plaintiffs’ argument “fatally flawed,” adding, “Plaintiffs’ own sources contradict it, the regulations of the U.S.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
First, revenues across the AI ecosystem have surged, which seems to contradict the bears’ worries about data-center profitability.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
"I contradict myself / I transform," she added on a thunderous version of Saoko, from her second album, Motomami.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
Their theories directly contradict each other, and yet both groups believe that Phineas's case supports their side.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Sarwar had said he would stick around as leader to steady the ship, but his swift exit contradicts that position and is a source of controversy for some.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It sounds like Justice Alito’s opinion contradicts the reality on the ground.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
This contradicts the seemingly common-sense notion that making information more widely accessible would lead to more efficient markets.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
The tale contradicts comments he made to reporters on May 4, when he bragged that the new lining was “very strong” and “if you had a knife, you can’t even cut it.”
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Mrs. van Daan, who always contradicts everyone, including Churchill and the news reports, is in complete agreement with Mr. Beaverbrook.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
She danced and sinned and regretted and atoned, and then contradicted herself by doing it all over again.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
The “Low Beta Anomaly” was first discovered in the 1970s and contradicted a bedrock stock-pricing model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 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
This position is popular with district teachers and parents of students at district-run schools but is contradicted by state law, which puts the needs of students at both kinds of schools at equal priority.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
He was new, someone they’d picked up in the Paradise Islands, and a bit of a rabble-rouser, but no one contradicted him when he said it again, louder: “It just ain’t right.”
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
In March, Jefferies analyst Surinder Thind said he’d seen no evidence of a recovery in customer appetite, directly contradicting management’s upbeat commentary.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 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
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
The lawsuit claims The Atlantic went ahead with their story “despite being expressly warned, hours before publication, that the central allegations were categorically false” and “despite having abundant publicly available information contradicting those allegations.”
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
Hynning took offense that I was now contradicting him, while General Steyn watched and listened without comment.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
