contradictory

[ kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree ]

/ ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk tə ri /

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See synonyms for: contradictory / contradictories / contradictorily on Thesaurus.com

adjective

asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite: contradictory statements.

tending or inclined to contradict.

noun, plural con·tra·dic·to·ries.

Logic. a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.

OTHER WORDS FOR contradictory

1 irreconcilable, paradoxical.

See synonyms for contradictory on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of contradictory

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin contrādictōrius, equivalent to contrādic(ere) (see contradict) + -tōrius-tory¹

OTHER WORDS FROM contradictory

con·tra·dic·to·ri·ly, adverbcon·tra·dic·to·ri·ness, nounin·ter·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjectivenon·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural non·con·tra·dic·to·ries.

un·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contradictory in a sentence

“Association or participation with hate or extremist groups of any kind is directly contradictory to the core values of honor, courage and commitment that we stand for as Marines and isn’t tolerated,” Capt.
The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records and Military Training. Now They Want to Overthrow the Government.|by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, and Lila Hassan and Karim Hajj, FRONTLINE|February 1, 2021|ProPublica
Understanding the world requires the mind-expanding realization that one thing viewed “from different perspectives, can seem to have very different or even contradictory properties.”
‘Fundamentals’ shows how reality is built from a few basic ingredients|Tom Siegfried|January 26, 2021|Science News
For now, the franchise remains on a strangely contradictory course.
Today in D.C.: Headlines to start your Wednesday in D.C., Maryland and Virginia|Dana Hedgpeth, Teddy Amenabar|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
A century ago, as medical researchers searched desperately for a therapeutic for influenza, public health agencies and government officials offered divergent and often contradictory statements about the potential value of serums and vaccines.
History reminds us that vaccines alone don’t end pandemics|E. Thomas Ewing|November 30, 2020|Washington Post

The wave of Supreme Court action on lawsuits challenging state election procedures and vote counting across the country in advance of Election Day appears at times contradictory and haphazard.
One theory by one justice binds together Supreme Court’s contradictory election opinions|Robert Barnes|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
And, indeed, geology gives us an answer; but it reads contradictorily: It says yes, and it says no.
The Theories of Darwin and Their Relation to Philosophy, Religion, and Morality|Rudolf Schmid
Her clothes conceal and reveal, artfully and contradictorily and endlessly.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLane
But those others of them who intermeddle in state affairs act yet more contradictorily to their own doctrines.
Essays and Miscellanies|Plutarch
The dying confessions are contradictorily reported, and all the reports are worthless.
The Mystery of Mary Stuart|Andrew Lang
He was to be taught to understand—nay, angelically he would understand at once—why she had behaved apparently so contradictorily.
The Tragic Comedians, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for contradictory

contradictory

/ (ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ) /

adjective

inconsistent; incompatible

given to argument and contentiona contradictory person

logic (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstancesCompare contrary (def. 5), subcontrary (def. 1)

noun plural -ries

logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true or false when it is false

Derived forms of contradictory

contradictorily, adverbcontradictoriness, noun

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

contradictory

OTHER WORDS FOR contradictory

Origin of contradictory

OTHER WORDS FROM contradictory

Words related to contradictory

How to use contradictory in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contradictory

Derived forms of contradictory