# contrary

/ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/contrary
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. opposite or conflicting

adjective · CEFR B2 · Academic

opposite in nature, direction, or meaning.

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

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

### 2. stubborn or unhelpful

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal

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

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

- He is being very contrary today and refuses to agree with any of our suggestions.
- The child was in a contrary mood, deliberately choosing the very activities his parents had just forbidden.

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

### 3. the opposite

noun · CEFR B2 · Formal

the opposite of something that has just been said.

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

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

### 4. logical opposition

noun · CEFR C2 · Academic · Technical

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

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

- In logic, 'all cats are black' and 'no cats are black' are contraries.
- The legal argument rested on the identification of a logical contrary within the witness's previous testimony.

## Examples

- I thought he was angry, but the contrary was true.
- While many expected the new law to reduce crime, the contrary happened and rates actually increased.
- The witness claimed to be at home during the incident, but evidence to the contrary emerged when his vehicle was spotted on a traffic camera miles away.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.