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contradictive

[ kon-truh-dik-tiv ]

adjective

  1. tending or inclined to contradict; involving contradiction; contradictory.


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Other Words From

  • contra·dictive·ly adverb
  • contra·dictive·ness noun
  • uncon·tra·dictive adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of contradictive1

First recorded in 1620–30; contradict + -ive

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Example Sentences

A cross, captious, and contradictive spirit and conduct, delighting in opposition to the judgment of the church and her rulers.

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More About Contradictive

What does contradictive mean?

Contradictive means inconsistent or tending to be in opposition.

Contradictive means the same thing as contradictory, but contradictory is used much more commonly. Contradictive and contradictory can both be used to describe actions, statements, or other things that are in opposition to each other. However, contradictive is perhaps more likely to be used to describe a person.

Example: Allison was accused of being contradictive because her statements to the press did not match what she told the police.

Where does contradictive come from?

The first records of contradictive come from the 1600s. It is based on contradict, which comes from the Latin contrādictus, formed from the roots contrā (meaning “against” or “opposite”) and dic (from dīcere, meaning “to speak”). The suffix -ive is used to form an adjective and indicates a tendency. So, based on its parts, contradictive means “having the tendency to speak against” something.

Contradictive is a synonym for contradictory, but it’s used much less commonly. Two statements that are inconsistent can be described as contradictive. A person’s actions could be said to be contradictive if they are somehow in opposition to each other. Contradictory could also be used in both of these cases, but it’s not common to describe people themselves as contradictory. If you want to say that someone is always looking to contradict other people, or that their actions are often contradictory, contradictive might be the better word. But this isn’t a rule, and it’s possible for either word to be used this way, so don’t come calling us contradictive.

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What are some other forms of contradictive?

  • contradict (verb)
  • contradiction (noun)
  • contradictively (adverb)
  • contradictiveness (noun)
  • uncontradictive (adjective)

What are some synonyms for contradictive?

What are some words that share a root or word element with contradictive

What are some words that often get used in discussing contradictive?

How is contradictive used in real life?

Contradictive is typically used in a serious tone, especially when criticizing someone or something considered inconsistent. Having a reputation for being contradictive is often seen as a negative trait, since such a person can be considered untrustworthy.

 

Try using contradictive!

Is contradictive used correctly in the following sentence?

Jackie and Sam had the exact same explanation for what happened, so I think they’re being contradictive.

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