contradictory
[kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree]
- asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite: contradictory statements.
- tending or inclined to contradict.
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- Logic. a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.
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Origin of contradictory
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin contrādictōrius, equivalent to contrādic(ere) (see contradict) + -tōrius -tory1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for contradictory on Thesaurus.com1. irreconcilable, paradoxical.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for contradictory
Contemporary Examples
America presents two contradictory narratives that it struggles to reconcile.
My optimism springs from the contradictory statements of the conservative justices of the court.
The upshot of these contradictory findings is that most people have trouble believing the figures produced by either side.
News sources are contradictory and no effective municipal governance exists to provide people with the information they need.
For weeks the information coming out of Kuala Lumpur was, at best, inconsistent and contradictory and, at worst, tainted.
Historical Examples
She stated the fact as one without a hint of any contradictory possibility.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
The Cherub waited for an explanation of these contradictory remarks.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
Contradictory rumours were abroad on the subject of his hair.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
The answers to this question were various and contradictory.
A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens
The most contradictory rumors are in circulation about Stanton.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863Adam Gurowski
contradictory
- 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)
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- logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true or false when it is false
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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
Word Origin and History for contradictory
adj.
1530s, "mutually opposed, at variance," from Late Latin contradictorius "containing a contradiction or objection," from contradictus, past participle of contradicere (see contradiction). Meaning "fond of contradicting" is from 1891. Used earlier as a noun (late 14c.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper