contrary

[ kon-trer-ee; for 5 also kuhn-trair-ee ]

/ ˈkɒn trɛr i; for 5 also kənˈtrɛər i /

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See synonyms for: contrary / contraries / contrarily / contrariness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed: contrary to fact; contrary propositions.

opposite in direction or position: departures in contrary directions.

being the opposite one of two: I will make the contrary choice.

unfavorable or adverse.

perverse; stubbornly opposed or willful.

noun, plural con·trar·ies.

something that is contrary or opposite: to prove the contrary of a statement.

either of two contrary things.

Logic. a proposition so related to another proposition that both may not be true though both may be false, as with the propositions “All judges are male” and “No judges are male.”

adverb

in opposition; oppositely; counter: to act contrary to one's own principles.

OTHER WORDS FOR contrary

1 contradictory, conflicting, counter.

4 unfriendly, hostile.

5 intractable, obstinate, headstrong, stubborn, pigheaded,

See synonyms for contrary on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR contrary

4 favorable.

5 obliging, complaisant.

See antonyms for contrary on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about contrary

by contraries, contrary to expectation.

on the contrary,

in opposition to what has been stated.
from another point of view: On the contrary, there may be some who would agree with you.

to the contrary,

to the opposite effect: I believe he is innocent, whatever they may say to the contrary.
to a different effect.

Origin of contrary

1200–50; Middle English contrarie<Anglo-French <Latin contrārius.See contra¹, -ary

synonym study for contrary

1. See opposite. 4. Contrary, adverse both describe something that opposes. Contrary conveys an idea of something impersonal and objective whose opposition happens to be unfavorable: contrary winds. Adverse suggests something more personally unfriendly or even hostile; it emphasizes the idea of the resulting misfortune to that which is opposed: The judge rendered a decision adverse to the defendant.

OTHER WORDS FROM contrary

con·trar·i·ly

[kon-trer-uh-lee, kuhn-trair-], /ˈkɒn trɛr ə li, kənˈtrɛər-/, adverbcon·trar·i·ness, nounqua·si-con·trar·i·ly, adverbqua·si-con·trar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use contrary in a sentence

The title of the Donne poem is “Oh, to Vex Me, Contraries Meet as One.”
Cynthia Nixon on Bisexuality & Her New Role in ‘Wit’|Kevin Sessums|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Shall the affections which consist in the forms and powers, and their contraries, the privations, be called qualities?
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3|Plotinos (Plotinus)
Consequently, objects which have something in common in the respect of colors could not be contraries.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3|Plotinos (Plotinus)
At present attention may be called only to one remarkable trait, namely: the interpretation of dreams by contraries.
Current Superstitions|Various

Waterloo, by the way, is the strangest encounter recorded in history; Napoleon and Wellington are not enemies, but contraries.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VII (of X)--Continental Europe I|Various
Motion and Rest are contraries; yet we say that each and both are Realities or Entia.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)|George Grote

British Dictionary definitions for contrary

contrary

/ (ˈkɒntrərɪ) /

adjective

opposed in nature, position, etccontrary ideas

(kənˈtrɛərɪ) perverse; obstinate

(esp of wind) adverse; unfavourable

(of plant parts) situated at right angles to each other

logic (of a pair of propositions) related so that they cannot both be true at once, although they may both be false togetherCompare subcontrary (def. 2), contradictory (def. 3)

noun plural -ries

the exact opposite (esp in the phrase to the contrary)

on the contrary quite the reverse; not at all

either of two exactly opposite objects, facts, or qualities

logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true

adverb (usually foll by to)

in an opposite or unexpected waycontrary to usual belief

in conflict (with) or contravention (of)contrary to nature

Derived forms of contrary

contrariness, noun

Word Origin for contrary

C14: from Latin contrārius opposite, from contrā against

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with contrary

contrary

see on the contrary; to the contrary.

contrary

OTHER WORDS FOR contrary

OPPOSITES FOR contrary

Idioms about contrary

Origin of contrary

synonym study for contrary

OTHER WORDS FROM contrary

Words related to contrary

How to use contrary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contrary

Derived forms of contrary

Word Origin for contrary

Other Idioms and Phrases with contrary