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

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

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 31, 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

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

This did not seem to discompose him; on the contrary, he looked rather amused.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• individually
• negatively
• separately
• variously