subcontrary

American  

[suhb-kon-trer-ee] / sʌbˈkɒn trɛr i /

noun

Logic.

subcontraries plural

1. one of two propositions that can both be true but cannot both be false.

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subcontrary British  

/ sʌbˈkɒntrərɪ /

adjective

1. (of a pair of propositions) related such that they cannot both be false at once, although they may be true together Compare contrary contradictory

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noun

1. a statement that cannot be false when a given statement is false

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• subcontraries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of subcontrary

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin subcontrārius, Late Latin ( see sub-, contrary), originally as translation of Greek hypenantíos

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subcontrary subcontraries

Two subcontrary propositions hold of the young of any animal.

From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

This early instillation, taken in connection with himself as a commanding illustration in subcontraries, had given Isabel a directness of vision invaluable to a girl in no haste to place her life in stronger hands.

From Ancestors A Novel by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn