contradictory

American  

[kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree] / ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk tə ri /

adjective

1. asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite.

   contradictory statements.

   Synonyms:

   paradoxical, irreconcilable

2. tending or inclined to contradict.

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noun

contradictories plural

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

contradictory British  

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ /

adjective

1. inconsistent; incompatible

2. given to argument and contention

   a contradictory person

3. logic (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstances Compare contrary subcontrary

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• contradictoriness
  noun
• intercontradictory
  adjective
• noncontradictory
  adjective
• uncontradictory
  adjective
• contradictorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contradictories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of contradictory

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin contrādictōrius; equivalent to contradict + -ory ¹

Explanation

A contradictory statement is one that says two things that cannot both be true. An example: My sister is jealous of me because I'm an only child. Contradictory is related to the verb contradict, which means to say or do the opposite, and contrary, which means to take an opposite view. When witnesses give contradictory accounts of crimes—one saying the assailant had a knife and the other a gun—police officers often assume that at least one of the witnesses is lying.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contradictory contradictories

The researchers say these seemingly contradictory cosmological puzzles may actually point toward the same conclusion.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

This Juneteenth, we should try to confront and reclaim this holiday’s contradictory history, in all its facets.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

A lot had contradictory answers, saying: “If we leave, there won’t be anyone left. Nevertheless, I’m leaving.”

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

The CIA, legendary for its grueling vetting of potential employees, missed the fact that Rush had given the agency contradictory accounts of what graduate degrees he had achieved, according to court papers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

There was something contradictory about his athletic build and his disheveled appearance.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Not "All S is P," not "No S is P," not "Some S is P," not "Some S is not P," are equivalent respectively to contradictories of the propositions thus negatived.

From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by Minto, William

This is the famous “Law of the contradictories and excluded middle,” on the construction of which the whole fabric of religious dogma, and I may add of the higher metaphysics, must depend.

From The Religious Sentiment Its Source and Aim: A Contribution to the Science and Philosophy of Religion by Brinton, Daniel Garrison

The distinction between Positive and Negative terms is not of much value in Logic, what importance would else attach to it being absorbed by the more definite distinction of contradictories.

From Logic Deductive and Inductive by Read, Carveth

They are contradictories, that is, one must be, to the exclusion of the other.

From Know the Truth; A critique of the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation by Jones, Jesse H.

The two principles are merged in one, and the contradiction solved by an assertion of the identity of the contradictories.

From Monophysitism Past and Present A Study in Christology by Luce, A. A. (Arthur Aston)

Related Words

• antithetical
• conflicting
• contrary
• incompatible
• inconsistent
• paradoxical