What does "contrary" mean?

1. (opposite or conflicting) opposite in nature, direction, or meaning. 2. (stubborn or unhelpful) describes a person who is stubborn and likes to do the opposite of what is expected. 3. (the opposite) the opposite of something that has just been said. 4. (logical opposition) one of two ideas that cannot both be true at the same time.

How do you use "contrary"?

Often used in the phrase 'contrary to', followed by a noun phrase. Commonly appears in the phrases 'on the contrary' or 'to the contrary'.

contrary

adj. · n.

US //ˈkɑntɹɛɹi// con·trary

1 opposite or conflicting (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

opposite in nature, direction, or meaning.

opposite in nature, character, or direction; often describes ideas or evidence that conflict with each other.

Example

The two witnesses gave contrary accounts of what happened during the accident.

Example

Despite the prevailing economic optimism, several contrary indicators suggested that a market correction was imminent.

Usage

Often used in the phrase 'contrary to', followed by a noun phrase.
- consistent
- similar
2 stubborn or unhelpful (adj.)
C1 Advanced Informal

describes a person who is stubborn and likes to do the opposite of what is expected.

habitually inclined to disagree or to do the opposite of what is requested or expected.

Example

He is being very contrary today and refuses to agree with any of our suggestions.

Example

The child was in a contrary mood, deliberately choosing the very activities his parents had just forbidden.

Teacher's tip

In this sense, the stress often shifts to the second syllable (con-TRAR-y) in some dialects, though the standard pronunciation remains acceptable.
- cooperative
- compliant

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3 the opposite (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

the opposite of something that has just been said.

the opposite of a statement, fact, or condition; frequently used in fixed prepositional phrases.

Example

I thought the test would be easy, but the contrary was true.

Example

The defendant claimed he was at home, but the evidence proved the contrary.

Usage

Commonly appears in the phrases 'on the contrary' or 'to the contrary'.
- opposite
- reverse
4 logical opposition (n.)
C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Law

one of two ideas that cannot both be true at the same time.

one of a pair of propositions that cannot both be true, though both may be false.

Example

In logic, 'all cats are black' and 'no cats are black' are contraries.

Example

The legal argument rested on the identification of a logical contrary within the witness's previous testimony.
- contradiction

Origin

From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrārius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contrā (“against”).