contrary

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

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contrary 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.

Idioms

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

Related formscon·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

Synonyms for contrary

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contrary ON THESAURUS.COM

1. contradictory, conflicting, counter. 4. unfriendly, hostile. 5. intractable, obstinate, headstrong, stubborn, pig-headed.

Synonym study

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.

Antonyms for contrary

4. favorable. 5. obliging, complaisant.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for contrary

inimical, conflicting, antithetical, hostile, negative, adverse, contradictory, inconsistent, discordant, opposed, wrongheaded, paradoxical, converse, reverse, counter, nonconformist, antipodal, refractory, dissident, recusant

Examples from the Web for contrary

Contemporary Examples of contrary

Contrary to the popular narrative, TNR did not “die” last week.
The Rise and Fall of Chris Hughes and Sean Eldridge, America’s Worst Gay Power Couple
James Kirchick
December 9, 2014
Contrary to what you may assume about me, I actually enjoy the occasional trip to the mall.
It’s Always Black Friday for Clerks
Michael Tomasky
November 28, 2014
Contrary to the conventional wisdom, there is nothing intrinsically “progressive” about hating suburbs.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia
Joel Kotkin
November 16, 2014
On the contrary, if the Court now decides to hear this case on the merits, it might be a fast-track.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins
Jay Michaelson
November 11, 2014
To the contrary, she said, she did not necessarily believe that collective bargaining needed to be reformed.
Meet Gina Raimondo, the Only Democratic Star of 2014
David Freedlander
November 6, 2014

Historical Examples of contrary

On the contrary, indeed, he appeared to joy immensely in Percival's way of life.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
You've had contrary winds so far, but you've borne up against them.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
On the contrary, gentlemen, I thought they were all looking at me.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
We are, on the contrary, fumbling and wallowing about where the Greek pondered and philosophized.
'Tis Sixty Years Since
Charles Francis Adams
I believe this, on the contrary, the strongest Government on earth.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various

British Dictionary definitions for contrary

contrary

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 Formscontrariness, 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

Word Origin and History for contrary

adj.

mid-14c., from Anglo-French contrarie, from Latin contrarius "opposite, opposed," from contra "against" (see contra).

If we take the statement All men are mortal, its contrary is Not all men are mortal, its converse is All mortal beings are men, & its opposite is No men are mortal. The contrary, however, does not exclude the opposite, but includes it as its most extreme form. Thus This is white has only one opposite, This is black, but many contraries, as This is not white, This is coloured, This is dirty, This is black; & whether the last form is called the contrary, or more emphatically the opposite, is usually indifferent. But to apply the opposite to a mere contrary (e.g. to I did not hit him in relation to I hit him, which has no opposite), or to the converse (e.g. to He hit me in relation to I hit him, to which it is neither contrary nor opposite), is a looseness that may easily result in misunderstanding; the temptation to go wrong is intelligible when it is remembered that with certain types of sentence (A exceeds B) the converse & the opposite are identical (B exceeds A). [Fowler]

As a noun from late 13c. Related: Contrarily; contrariwise.

Idioms and Phrases with contrary

contrary

see on the contrary; to the contrary.