Nearby Words
adjective
1.
asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite: contradictory statements.
2.
tending or inclined to contradict.
noun
3.
Logic. a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.
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Contradictory
has a plethora of syllables.
So is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Does it mean:
| a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C14H9Cl5, usually derived from chloral by reaction with chlorobenzene in the presence of fuming sulfuric acid: used as an insecticide and as a scabicide and pediculicide: agricultural use prohibited in the U.S. |
| an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language. |
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin contrādictōrius, equivalent to contrādic(ere) (see contradict) + -tōrius -tory1
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin contrādictōrius, equivalent to contrādic(ere) (see contradict) + -tōrius -tory1
Related forms
con·tra·dic·to·ri·ly, adverb
con·tra·dic·to·ri·ness, noun
in·ter·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective
non·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural -ries.
un·con·tra·dic·to·ry, adjective
Synonyms
1. irreconcilable, paradoxical.
1. irreconcilable, paradoxical.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To contradictory
Collins
World English Dictionary
| contradictory (ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | inconsistent; incompatible |
| 2. | given to argument and contention: a contradictory person |
| 3. | logic contrary Compare subcontrary (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstances |
| —n , -ries | |
| 4. | logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true or false when it is false |
| contra'dictorily | |
| —adv | |
| contra'dictoriness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
contradictory
1530s, "mutually opposed, at variance," from L. contradictorius, from contradictorem, from contradicere (see contradiction). Meaning "fond of contradicting" is from 1891.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
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