on the contrary

American  

phrase

1. the opposite is true; not at all; by no means (often used as an interjection).

2. (used to introduce a statement contradictory or opposing to a previous one).

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on the contrary Idioms  

1. It's the opposite, as in Is his shoulder hurting?—On the contrary, it's all better, or We thought you didn't like opera.—On the contrary, I love it. This phrase, at first put as by or for or in the contrary, dates from the late 1300s; on has been used since the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on the contrary

Asked whether he expected the situation to improve, Blume said "on the contrary, we have to assume that risks will get worse, worldwide".

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

The news, on the contrary, helps prove that we can’t.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

This climb, on the contrary, benefits from the attributes of individual students.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

“It is not a great disproportion between ourselves and others which produces envy, but on the contrary, a proximity,” wrote David Hume, the 18th-century philosopher and economist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

Not, however, to go to bed: on the contrary, I began and dressed myself carefully.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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Related Words

• individually
• negatively
• separately
• variously

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