contrary

American  

[kon-trer-ee, kuhn-trair-ee] / ˈkɒn trɛr i, kənˈtrɛər i /

adjective

1. opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed.

   contrary to fact; contrary propositions.

   Synonyms:

   counter, conflicting, contradictory

2. opposite in direction or position.

   departures in contrary directions.

3. being the opposite one of two.

   I will make the contrary choice.

4. unfavorable or adverse.

   Synonyms:

   hostile, unfriendly, unfriendly

   Antonyms:

   favorable

5. perverse; stubbornly opposed or willful.

   Synonyms:

   pigheaded, stubborn, headstrong, obstinate, intractable

   Antonyms:

   complaisant, obliging

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noun

plural

contraries

1. something that is contrary or opposite.

   to prove the contrary of a statement.

2. either of two contrary things.

3. 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

1. in opposition; oppositely; counter.

   to act contrary to one's own principles.

idioms

1. by contraries, contrary to expectation.

2. on the contrary,

   1. in opposition to what has been stated.

   2. from another point of view.

      On the contrary, there may be some who would agree with you.

3. to the contrary,

   1. to the opposite effect.

      I believe he is innocent, whatever they may say to the contrary.

   2. to a different effect.

contrary British  

/ ˈkɒntrərɪ /

adjective

1. opposed in nature, position, etc

   contrary ideas

2. perverse; obstinate

3. (esp of wind) adverse; unfavourable

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

5. logic (of a pair of propositions) related so that they cannot both be true at once, although they may both be false together Compare subcontrary contradictory

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noun

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

2. quite the reverse; not at all

3. either of two exactly opposite objects, facts, or qualities

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

adverb

1. in an opposite or unexpected way

   contrary to usual belief

2. in conflict (with) or contravention (of)

   contrary to nature

contrary More Idioms  

1. see on the contrary; to the contrary.

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Related Words

See opposite. 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 Word Forms

• contrarily adverb
• contrariness noun
• quasi-contrarily adverb
• quasi-contrary adjective

Etymology

Origin of contrary

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English contrarie, from Anglo-French, from Latin contrārius; equivalent to contra ¹ + -ary

Example Sentences

“That said, we still think policy tightening won’t be on the central bank’s agenda this year, contrary to current market pricing,” he added.

From The Wall Street Journal

She added that despite the men's claims to the contrary, their behaviour had been "intended to cause alarm and distress".

From BBC

On the contrary, Carlson eventually came to realize that the pathway to professional success was to double, triple and even quadruple down on being the hack Stewart accused him of being.

From Salon

Panama’s La Prensa reported Friday that Beijing called the decision “ ‘contrary to the legal basis’ under which the Panamanian side approved the concession rights, adding that the company ‘reserves all its rights, including legal action.’

From The Wall Street Journal

It is, on the contrary, a way of continuing their legacy and celebrating them.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• adverse
• antithetical
• conflicting
• contradictory
• discordant
• hostile
• inconsistent
• inimical
• negative
• opposed
• paradoxical
• wrongheaded