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
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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:
At first glance, these findings might seem to contradict the idea that chytrid caused the disappearances.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Upbeat spending is particularly remarkable because it seems to contradict downbeat consumer sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Rosval, trying to build kitchens in which creativity and humane working conditions reinforce, rather than contradict, one another.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 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
He looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Dr. Jan Schönig at Göttingen University's Geoscience Center explains: "Finding this change from hot to cold subduction was unexpected as this contradicts our current thermal models of subduction zones."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 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
AFC remains committed to creating a professional, supportive, and safe environment for all recruits, the Army told us, and "any suggestion otherwise contradicts the values of respect and inclusivity that we stand for".
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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
To succeed, you would need to show that your father had an established, longstanding estate plan that the final outcome contradicted.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 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
Mickelson hired Tom Clare, a top defamation attorney, who said video evidence contradicted the allegations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 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
“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
The answer, in the end, was by breaking his lifelong conditioning, contradicting one of the main qualifications of heroic worthiness established by a council of powerful beings most people aren’t even aware exists.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
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
A chief executive doesn’t let a division head go give speeches contradicting company strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Lyddie nodded, so as not to seem to be contradicting their mother out loud.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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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.
