contrarious

[ kuhn-trair-ee-uhs ]
See synonyms for contrarious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Chiefly Appalachian. perverse; refractory.

  2. Archaic. adverse; unfavorable.

Origin of contrarious

1
1250–1300; Middle English (<Anglo-French ) <Latin contrāriuscontrary; see -ous

Other words from contrarious

  • con·trar·i·ous·ly, adverb
  • con·trar·i·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby contrarious

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How to use contrarious in a sentence

  • And what greater absurditie can there bee, then to say that one cure shall serue for diuers, nay, contrarious sortes of diseases?

  • It was the son who sang the ‘Death of Nelson’ under such contrarious circumstances.

    Essays of Travel | Robert Louis Stevenson
  • It was just bitterly disappointing and contrarious that the one person he wished to see was a Commodore Graham.

    The Summons | A.E.W. Mason
  • But before he could set to work there came more "contrarious" orders.

  • They will be drowned going overland, after the contrarious way of the world.

    Up the Country | Emily Eden

British Dictionary definitions for contrarious

contrarious

/ (kənˈtrɛərɪəs) /


adjectiverare
  1. (of people or animals) perverse or obstinate

  2. (of conditions) unfavourable

Derived forms of contrarious

  • contrariously, adverb
  • contrariousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012