contradict
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to say that a statement is not true or that someone is wrong.
to assert the opposite of a statement made by another; to deny the validity of an assertion.
Simple“I didn't want to contradict my boss in front of the whole team.”
In context“The witness began to contradict her previous testimony under cross-examination, leading the jury to doubt her overall credibility.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
when two facts or ideas are so different that they cannot both be true.
to be logically inconsistent with something else so that both cannot be true simultaneously.
Simple“The new evidence seems to contradict everything we thought we knew.”
In context“The results of the second study directly contradict the initial hypothesis, suggesting that the environmental factors were more significant than first assumed.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to say something that is the opposite of what you said before.
to make statements that are mutually exclusive; often used reflexively to indicate a speaker's lack of consistency.
Simple“The politician contradicted himself several times during the long interview.”
In context“By claiming to support fiscal responsibility while proposing massive spending increases, the candidate appeared to contradict himself on a fundamental level.”
Synonyms
Usage contradict finding · finding contradict
“Kim Yo-jong, a powerful adviser and sister of Kim Jong-un, also said she was “unaware” of any communication with Washington, contradicting President Trump’s claim her brother had responded to his outreach.”
“Even physiognomically, sources contradict one another as to whether—or how—the Cagots differed from other residents in the Pyrenees.”
Derived from Latin contrādictus (“contradicted”), the past participle of contrādīcō (“speak against”) (originally two words).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.