contra
preposition
against; in opposition or contrast to.
contra
1 American
[kon-truh]
/ ˈkɒn trə /
preposition
adverb
contra
2
American
[kon-truh, kawn-tr ah]
/ ˈkɒn trə, ˈkɔn trɑ /
noun
contras
plural
contra-
3
American
contra-
4
American
contra-
British
prefix
-
against; contrary; opposing; contrasting
contraceptive
contradistinction
-
(in music) pitched below
contrabass
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contra1
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin contrā
Origin of contra2
First recorded in 1980–85; from Central American Spanish, shortening of contrarrevolucionario “counterrevolutionary”
Origin of contra-3
< Late Latin, Latin, prefixal use of adverb and preposition contrā
Origin of contra-4
< Italian < Latin; see contra- 1 ( def. ), counterpoint
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:
In fact, the author argues that, contra the “biological essentialist” view that says women are made for child care and men for professional work, the sexes are actually more similar than they are different.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Giraffes, contra Lamarck, didn’t reach for high leaves, develop long necks and then pass those necks on to their descendants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
The octave below contra can be labelled CCC or Co; higher octaves can be labelled with higher numbers or more lines.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
I would not have written this book if I did not believe, contra Wilde, that many principles of style really can be taught.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Contracted; Contraction. contr. bon. mor., contra bonos mores=Contrary to good manners.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Just days before the scheduled start of Gates' hearings, Alan Fiers, a former top CIA official, pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress about his own knowledge of the contra- supply operation.
From Time Magazine Archive
This week the congressional committee will hear from Albert Hakim, an Iranian-born businessman who worked on both the Iran arms deal and the contra- arms network.
From Time Magazine Archive
From the National Security Agency he obtained top-secret encryption devices to create a secure communications link to the private operators in his contra- supply operation.
From Time Magazine Archive
Although the NSC directed the contra- resupply network, Poindexter told Congress that his agency was adhering to the letter and spirit of the law.
From Time Magazine Archive
Immortal memory 407:21 If delusion says, "I have lost my memory," contra- dict it.
From Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures by Eddy, Mary Baker
Mr. McFarlane, in interviews and in his memoirs, depicted the president as sometimes confused or vague about the details of what was happening with Iran and the contras.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2022
In a 1991 book, “Panama: The Whole Story,” he described Noriega’s long-standing ties to U.S. intelligence agencies, which sought his help in arming the contras, a counterrevolutionary force in Nicaragua.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 6, 2021
That stirred complaints from two AP Washington reporters who later said they felt Lewis held them back on their early reporting on North’s shadowy contacts with Nicaraguan contras.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2021
The contras died down for most of the past two decades, but are rumoured to be making a comeback amid growing frustration with Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 25, 2016
Somoza was long gone, the contras were nothing but a memory.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
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.
