contravene
Americanverb (used with object)
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contravenes,
present (3rd person singular)
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contravened,
past participle, past
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contravening
present participle
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to come or be in conflict with; go or act against; deny or oppose.
to contravene a statement.
-
to violate, infringe, or transgress.
to contravene the law.
verb
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to come into conflict with or infringe (rules, laws, etc)
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to dispute or contradict (a statement, proposition, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contravenesimple
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contravenessimple
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have contravenedperfect
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has contravenedperfect
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am contraveningprogressive
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are contraveningprogressive
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is contraveningprogressive
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have been contraveningperfect progressive
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has been contraveningperfect progressive
Past
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contravenedsimple
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had contravenedperfect
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was contraveningprogressive
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were contraveningprogressive
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had been contraveningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contravene
1560–70; < Late Latin contrāvenīre, equivalent to Latin contrā against + venīre to come
Explanation
To contravene means to go against or defy. You might contravene your parents' ban on sweets when your friend offers to share her candy because chocolate tastes too good to resist! If you contravene something in practice, you act in direct violation of a particular law or rule. Think about the times when someone has told you not to cross a line and you do anyway. You can also contravene in words though, which means you contradict or argue against a statement. Let's say you're debating gun control. If your opponent says that for the safety of all, it should be legal to carry a concealed weapon wherever you go, you might answer that the more concealed weapons there are, the more violence. You are contravening your opponent's argument.
Vocabulary lists containing contravene
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Against All Odds: Contra and Counter
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Yet, Ms. Gordon-Reed notes, Jefferson’s “actions and words in other contexts . . . contravene almost everything he has to say in the ‘Notes.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
While strictly speaking the events seem to contravene restrictions imposed on mass gatherings, they have been tolerated by the authorities.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
That leads into Colorado’s second justification—that conversion therapy does indeed contravene the standard of care by subjecting minors to “discredited” quackery far more likely to harm than help.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2025
The EBU, which organises Eurovision, has confirmed the song does not contravene its ban on lyrics that could bring the contest into disrepute.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
If Masters had needed any stimulus to his resolution to contravene the ambitious plans of the cashier, Mrs. Masters would have supplied it.
From The Faith Doctor A Story of New York by Edward Eggleston
The UN and other aid groups refuse to co-operate with the GHF, saying its new system contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025
He said the continuation of the war in Gaza and the "loss of innocent lives is simply unacceptable and contravenes international law."
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2024
"It contravenes Indonesia’s international obligations in relation to respect and protection for freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression," he said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 20, 2023
Justice is always served when a court does not allow a defendant to manipulate a federal statute to their advantage in a way that contravenes its purpose.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2023
As the treaty is continued in force except where it contravenes the provisions of the act, I do not see any difficulty in admitting this interpretation.
From A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents Volume 9, part 1: Benjamin Harrison by Benjamin Harrison
The family argued that their rights, which requires the State providing education to "respect the right of parents to ensure such education is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions", had been contravened.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
Manchester United wanted to sign Todibo earlier this summer but were blocked from doing so by Uefa because of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's involvement with Nice as it contravened their associated party transaction rules.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024
Detractors said the plan contravened Kenya’s constitution because it would place officers in unnecessary danger and was carried out without broader public dialogue or the direct authorization of the government agencies tasked with national security.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
However, a 2022 report from the UN determined that the case contravened international law and that Mr Pether and Mr Khalid had been subjected to "abusive and coercive" interrogations.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2024
But if we are to deal with the Cosmos we must first understand it, even if our hopes for some unearned preferential status are, in the process, contravened.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Three people have also been charged with failing to comply with or contravening an environmental permit condition.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The ship is currently being held by UK officials off the coast of Weymouth and its captain has been charged with contravening sanctions.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
British prosecutors on Monday charged Ajay Pant, the Indian captain of the Smyrtos, with contravening UK sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
The individual accused China of holding Turganbay without cause and of buying-up Kazakh land, contravening a law against the sale of agricultural areas to foreign citizens.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
The International Confederation of Wizards has had to fine certain nations repeatedly for contravening Clause 73.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
