contradiction

American  

[kon-truh-dik-shuhn] / ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk ʃən /

noun

• contradictions
  plural

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.

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contradiction British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intercontradiction
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contradictions
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contradiction contradictions

But there’s a contradiction tucked inside that promise.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

This apparent contradiction becomes easier to understand when the different stages of digestion are examined separately.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

The contradiction of “Abrázame” is that everyone kept telling me that it should continue going up and explode at the end, but I had already overused that device on “Epistolares.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

China's leader Xi Jinping has acknowledged it too: he said the "principal contradiction" was "between the people's ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development".

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts.

From "1984" by George Orwell

These contradictions have led researchers to different conclusions about how ancient species behaved.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

A man of confounding contradictions, Bakker died Monday, his wife announced in a statement on his Instagram account.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Bucking Fastard” relishes those contradictions, supposing that there might be some version of life where they can coexist in harmony.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

He sees contradictions – uncertain youth in a powerful, assertive country; disillusionment despite huge advancement – and his job, he says, is to unpack what is driving it.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

I try to make sense of this, just as I’ve tried to make sense of the other contradictions I’ve been noticing more and more lately.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

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Related Words

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

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