contradiction
Americannoun
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the act of contradicting; gainsaying or opposition.
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assertion of the contrary or opposite; denial.
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a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.
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direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency.
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a contradictory act, fact, etc.
noun
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the act of going against; opposition; denial
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a declaration of the opposite or contrary
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a statement that is at variance with itself (often in the phrase a contradiction in terms )
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conflict or inconsistency, as between events, qualities, etc
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a person or thing containing conflicting qualities
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logic a statement that is false under all circumstances; necessary falsehood
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contradiction
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English contradiccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin contrādictiōn-, stem of contrādictiō “counterargument, objection, reply”; equivalent to contradict + -ion
Explanation
A contradiction is a situation or ideas in opposition to one another. Declaring publicly that you are an environmentalist but never remembering to take out the recycling is an example of a contradiction. A "contradiction in terms" is a common phrase used to describe a statement that contains opposing ideas. Examples of a contradiction in terms include, "the gentle torturer," "the towering midget," or "a snowy summer's day." A person can also express a contradiction, like the person who professes atheism, yet goes to church every Sunday.
Vocabulary lists containing contradiction
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 2
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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.
That seeming contradiction makes it a very Everything Is Terrible idea.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Suu Kyi has spent around two decades of her life in detention ordered by the military -- but in a striking contradiction, she is the daughter of the founder of Myanmar's armed forces.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
To resolve this contradiction, the team investigated whether there might be important differences within the bacterium itself.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
Such contradiction is not unusual in China's top-down system, Ma says.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Washington’s presidency had become trapped within that contradiction.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
