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

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

From MarketWatch • Jan. 31, 2026

She said that on the contrary, she spends lavishly on him, including partly paying for a Mercedes for his 19th birthday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

But, he added "on the contrary it can also serve to decrease reporting and decrease the level of threat and risk".

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025

Hitler believed the German people must never be allowed to “cool off”; on the contrary, they had to be subjected to a perpetual drumbeat.

From Salon • May 24, 2025

The male, on the contrary, is a strong flier and is attracted even from considerable distances by a scent released by the female from special glands.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• individually
• negatively
• separately
• variously