contrary
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.opposite in nature, direction, or meaning.
adj.opposite in nature, character, or direction; often describes ideas or evidence that conflict with each other.
Simple“The two witnesses gave contrary accounts of what happened during the accident.”
In context“Despite the prevailing economic optimism, several contrary indicators suggested that a market correction was imminent.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'contrary to', followed by a noun phrase.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
adj.describes a person who is stubborn and likes to do the opposite of what is expected.
adj.habitually inclined to disagree or to do the opposite of what is requested or expected.
Simple“He is being very contrary today and refuses to agree with any of our suggestions.”
In context“The child was in a contrary mood, deliberately choosing the very activities his parents had just forbidden.”
Teacher's tipIn this sense, the stress often shifts to the second syllable (con-TRAR-y) in some dialects, though the standard pronunciation remains acceptable.
Antonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the opposite of something that has just been said.
n.the opposite of a statement, fact, or condition; frequently used in fixed prepositional phrases.
Simple“I thought the test would be easy, but the contrary was true.”
In context“The defendant claimed he was at home, but the evidence proved the contrary.”
UsageCommonly appears in the phrases 'on the contrary' or 'to the contrary'.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.one of two ideas that cannot both be true at the same time.
n.one of a pair of propositions that cannot both be true, though both may be false.
Simple“In logic, 'all cats are black' and 'no cats are black' are contraries.”
In context“The legal argument rested on the identification of a logical contrary within the witness's previous testimony.”
Synonyms
Usage contrary to
“It’s not too late to reverse this decision, which is contrary to the government’s newfound enthusiasm for delegating decisions to local communities.”
“That was the case in 1950, and it is still the case today, despite well-publicised claims to the contrary.”
From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrārius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contrā (“against”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.