contradiction
[ kon-truh-dik-shuh n ]
/ ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk ʃən /
noun
the act of contradicting; gainsaying or opposition.
assertion of the contrary or opposite; denial.
a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.
direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency.
a contradictory act, fact, etc.
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RELATED WORDS
disagreement, discrepancy, conflict, difference, inconsistency, dispute, denial, opposite, incongruity, contravention, dissension, opposition, defiance, negation, confutation, bucking
Nearby words
- contractual psychiatry,
- contracture,
- contracyclical,
- contradance,
- contradict,
- contradiction in terms,
- contradictious,
- contradictive,
- contradictory,
- contradistinction
Origin of contradiction
1350–1400; Middle English contradiccioun (< Anglo-French) < Latin contrādictiōn- (stem of contrādictiō). See contradict, -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for contradiction
contradiction
/ (ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃən) /
noun
the act of going against; opposition; denial
a declaration of the opposite or contrary
a statement that is at variance with itself (often in the phrase a contradiction in terms)
conflict or inconsistency, as between events, qualities, etc
a person or thing containing conflicting qualities
logic a statement that is false under all circumstances; necessary falsehood
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
contradiction
late 14c., from Old French contradiction or directly from Latin contradictionem (nominative contradictio) "a reply, objection, counterargument," noun of action from past participle stem of contradicere, in classical Latin contra dicere "to speak against," from contra "against" (see contra) + dicere "to speak" (see diction).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper