Nearby Words
adjective
1.
opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed: contrary to fact; contrary propositions.
2.
opposite in direction or position: departures in contrary directions.
3.
being the opposite one of two: I will make the contrary choice.
4.
unfavorable or adverse.
5.
perverse; stubbornly opposed or willful.
noun
6.
something that is contrary or opposite: to prove the contrary of a statement.
7.
either of two contrary things.
8.
Logic. a proposition so related to another proposition that both may not be true though both may be false, as with the propositions “All judges are male” and “No judges are male.”
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
Contrariness
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
adverb
Idioms9.
in opposition; oppositely; counter: to act contrary to one's own principles.
10.
by contraries, contrary to expectation.
11.
on the contrary,
a.
in opposition to what has been stated.
b.
from another point of view: On the contrary, there may be some who would agree with you.
12.
to the contrary,
a.
to the opposite effect: I believe he is innocent, whatever they may say to the contrary.
b.
to a different effect.
Related forms
con·trar·i·ness, noun
qua·si-con·trar·i·ly, adverb
qua·si-con·trar·y, adjective
Synonyms
1. contradictory, conflicting, counter. See opposite. 4. unfriendly, hostile. Contrary, adverse both describe something that opposes. Contrary conveys an idea of something impersonal and objective whose opposition happens to be unfavorable: contrary winds. Adverse suggests something more personally unfriendly or even hostile; it emphasizes the idea of the resulting misfortune to that which is opposed: The judge rendered a decision adverse to the defendant. 5. intractable, obstinate, headstrong, stubborn, pig-headed.
1. contradictory, conflicting, counter. See opposite. 4. unfriendly, hostile. Contrary, adverse both describe something that opposes. Contrary conveys an idea of something impersonal and objective whose opposition happens to be unfavorable: contrary winds. Adverse suggests something more personally unfriendly or even hostile; it emphasizes the idea of the resulting misfortune to that which is opposed: The judge rendered a decision adverse to the defendant. 5. intractable, obstinate, headstrong, stubborn, pig-headed.
Antonyms
4. favorable. 5. obliging, complaisant.
4. favorable. 5. obliging, complaisant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To contrariness
Collins
World English Dictionary
| contrary (ˈkɒntrərɪ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | opposed in nature, position, etc: contrary ideas |
| 2. | perverse; obstinate |
| 3. | (esp of wind) adverse; unfavourable |
| 4. | (of plant parts) situated at right angles to each other |
| 5. | logic subcontrary Compare contradictory (of a pair of propositions) related so that they cannot both be true at once, although they may both be false together |
| —n , -ries | |
| 6. | the exact opposite (esp in the phrase to the contrary) |
| 7. | on the contrary quite the reverse; not at all |
| 8. | either of two exactly opposite objects, facts, or qualities |
| 9. | logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true |
| —adv | |
| 10. | in an opposite or unexpected way: contrary to usual belief |
| 11. | in conflict (with) or contravention (of): contrary to nature |
| [C14: from Latin contrārius opposite, from contrā against] | |
| con'trariness | |
| —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
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
