contradiction

[kon-truh-dik-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of contradicting; gainsaying or opposition.

2. assertion of the contrary or opposite; denial.

3. a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.

4. direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency.

5. a contradictory act, fact, etc.

contradiction

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃən /

noun

1. the act of going against; opposition; denial

2. a declaration of the opposite or contrary

3. a statement that is at variance with itself (often in the phrase a contradiction in terms )

4. conflict or inconsistency, as between events, qualities, etc

5. a person or thing containing conflicting qualities

6. logic a statement that is false under all circumstances; necessary falsehood

Other Word Forms

• intercontradiction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contradiction¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English contradiccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin contrādictiōn-, stem of contrādictiō “counterargument, objection, reply”; equivalent to contradict + -ion

Example Sentences

But here, a couple of day later, is an answer—or, rather, a series of answers, with many contradictions among them.

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But we tend to justify or explain away our own contradictions.

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What Peck found wasn’t a prophet or a symbol but a man full of contradictions: a writer wrestling with class, illness and empire, trying to fuse politics and art before his own time ran out.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And in a seeming contradiction of the terms outlined, Netanyahu released a video address on Tuesday saying the Israeli military “will remain in most of the Gaza Strip.”

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Whether it’s a semi-ironic obsession with artisanal cheese-making, a random passion for sitar music or a stubborn preference for a flip phone, there are many wonderful contradictions about humans that algorithms can’t quite pin down.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• conflict 
• difference 
• disagreement 
• discrepancy 
• dispute 
• inconsistency