Dictionary.com

contra

1
[ kon-truh ]
/ ˈkɒn trə /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contra

preposition

against; in opposition or contrast to: Consider the problems of the teenager contra those of the adult.

adverb

contrariwise; on or to the contrary.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of contra

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin contrā

Words nearby contra

contour line, contour map, contour ploughing, contour sheet, contr., contra, contra-aperture, contraband, contrabandist, contraband of war, contrabass

Definition for contra (2 of 4)

contra2
[ kon-truh; Spanish kawn-trah ]
/ ˈkɒn trə; Spanish ˈkɔn trɑ /

noun, plural con·tras [kon-truhz; Spanish kawn-trahs]. /ˈkɒn trəz; Spanish ˈkɔn trɑs/.

(often initial capital letter) a member of a counterrevolutionary guerrilla group in Nicaragua.

Origin of contra

2
<American Spanish, shortening of contrarrevolucionariocounterrevolutionary

Definition for contra (3 of 4)

contra-1

a prefix meaning “against,” “opposite,” “opposing”: contradistinction, contraindicate.

Origin of contra-

1
<Late Latin, Latin, prefixal use of adverb and preposition contrā

Definition for contra (4 of 4)

contra-2

a prefix meaning “pitched lower than” the voice or instrument specified by the following element: contralto, contrabassoon.

Origin of contra-

2
<Italian <Latin; see contra-1, counterpoint
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to contra

antithesis, contrary, reversal, inverse, paradox, reverse, obverse, converse, contradiction, counterpart, foil, opposition, antipode, antonym, contrast, about-face, back, underside, regression, bottom

Example sentences from the Web for contra

British Dictionary definitions for contra

contra-

prefix

against; contrary; opposing; contrastingcontraceptive; contradistinction
(in music) pitched belowcontrabass

Word Origin for contra-

from Latin, from contrā against
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

Medical definitions for contra

contra-

pref.

Against; opposite; contrasting:contraindication.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.