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counterintuitive

[ koun-ter-in-too-i-tiv, -tyoo- ]
/ ˌkaʊn tər ɪnˈtu ɪ tɪv, -ˈtyu- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR counterintuitive

adjective

counter to what intuition would lead one to expect: The direction we had to follow was counterintuitive—we had to go north first before we went south.

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Origin of counterintuitive

First recorded in 1960–65; counter- + intuitive

Words nearby counterintuitive

counterimmunoelectrophoresis, counterincision, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, counterintuition, counterintuitive, counter-ion, counterirritant, counterirritation, counterjumper, counterlight
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to counterintuitive

unreasonable, illogical, nonsensical, faulty, implausible, absurd, contradictory, capricious, erratic, reasonless, senseless, preposterous, sophistic, untenable

Example sentences from the Web for counterintuitive

British Dictionary definitions for counterintuitive

counterintuitive
/ (ˌkaʊntərɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv) /

adjective

(of an idea, proposal, etc) seemingly contrary to common sense
intelligence collected about enemy espionage
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