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contrary

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

The English word “contrary” has 14 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
  2. Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.
  3. Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

adverb

  1. Contrarily

noun

  1. The opposite.
  2. One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.
  3. A type of loaded die.

verb

  1. To oppose; to frustrate.
  2. To impugn.
  3. To contradict (someone or something).
  4. To do the opposite of (someone or something).
  5. To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.
  6. To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.
  7. To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

Etymology

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

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.