contradiction

[ kon-truh-dik-shuh n ]

/ ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk ʃən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR contradiction ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Words nearby contradiction

contractual psychiatry, contracture, contracyclical, contradance, contradict, contradiction, 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

OTHER WORDS FROM contradiction

in·ter·con·tra·dic·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contradiction

This may seem like a contradiction, if “conservative” means political conservatism.
Supreme Court to Gay-Marriage Foes: Get Lost|Jay Michaelson|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, the very idea of a same-sex marriage seemed to most people a contradiction in terms.
Opposing Gay Marriage Doesn’t Make You a Crypto-Racist|Jonathan Rauch|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For those who knew him best, he remained a study in contradiction.
The Man Who Knew Russia Best: George Kennan’s Revealing Diaries|James A. Warren|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But beneath this oddball kumbaya story lies a contradiction.
Cory Booker’s Rabbis|Peter Beinart|June 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

This remains a contradiction until and unless the Afghan Taliban are pushed toward talks.
‘Homework to Do’: The Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Talk Tipping Point|Shamila N. Chaudhary, Omar Samad|April 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For a man to call himself a Christian Evolutionist is (we have been told by high Orthodox authority) a contradiction in terms.
The Arena|Various
Some things are opposed to others relatively, others privatively, and others by contradiction.
Commentary on Genesis, Vol. I|Martin Luther
The contradiction between what is prophesied and what happens is at times so marked as to be comical.
Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 6. Young Germany|Georg Brandes
The very same person may be guilty of this contradiction, when varying circumstances render it convenient.
The Task of Social Hygiene|Havelock Ellis
Personality without place, or form, or substance, or limitation is a contradiction of terms.
The Last Harvest|John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions 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

noun

Content related to contradiction

Words related to contradiction

Words nearby contradiction

Origin of contradiction

OTHER WORDS FROM contradiction

Examples from the Web for contradiction

British Dictionary definitions for contradiction

noun