contravene

[ kon-truh-veen ]

See synonyms for contravene on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),con·tra·vened, con·tra·ven·ing.

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.

Origin of contravene

1560–70; <Late Latin contrāvenīre, equivalent to Latin contrā against + venīre to come

Other words from contravene

con·tra·ven·er, noun

Words that may be confused with contravene

contravene , controvert

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contravene in a sentence

Websites that produce editorial and opinion-based content will need to be confident that what they produce will not contravene guidelines agreed by big tech and governments.
The future of Google and what it means for search | Pete Eckersley | February 5, 2021 | Search Engine Watch
That included a prohibition on AI systems “whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.”
Google’s Aramco deal risks irking staff over oil, Saudi politics | Verne Kopytoff | December 21, 2020 | Fortune
Guerrero said Gómez’s use of “the loophole” contravened the will of the voters.
The Rise and Fall (for Now) of Georgette Gómez | Andrew Keatts | November 16, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
Last of all, the general government cannot go into the railroad business without contravening the provisions of the constitution.
Monopolies and the People | D. C. Cloud
The assertion of the rapid obsolescence of ships of war will be dwelt upon, in the hopes of contravening it.
Lessons of the war with Spain and other articles | Alfred T. Mahan

And this question subdivides itself into two:—the first, are we really contravening such conclusions?
Lay Sermons, Addresses and Reviews | Thomas Henry Huxley
It was added, that postmasters contravening these orders would be most severely punished.
The Life of Sir Rowland Hill, Vol. II (of 2) | Rowland Hill
Many were both, but it was a disputed question whether they were not in this contravening their rule.
Medival Wales | A. G. Little

British Dictionary definitions for contravene

contravene

/ (ˌkɒntrəˈviːn) /

verb(tr)

to come into conflict with or infringe (rules, laws, etc)
to dispute or contradict (a statement, proposition, etc)

Origin of contravene

C16: from Late Latin contrāvenīre, from Latin contra- + venīre to come

Derived forms of contravene

contravener, noun
contravention (ˌkɒntrəˈvɛnʃən), noun

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

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