Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- prep. In contrast or opposition to; against.
- adv. In opposition to something stated or expected; to the contrary.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- A Latin adverb and preposition (and prefix), meaning ‘against,’ ‘over against,’ ‘opposite,’ ‘in front of,’ orig. ‘in comparison with’: used in the phrase per contra, and, abbreviated, in pro and con; also in various legal phrases, as contra bonos mores; usually as a prefix in words taken from the Latin or Romance languages, or formed analogously in English. In introducing a legal citation it means ‘to the contrary.’ See contra-.
- A prefix of Latin origin, meaning ‘against,’ ‘over against,’ ‘opposite’; doublet of counter-. See contra and counter-. Specifically— In the compound names of musical instruments, a prefix signifying a large form or variety, yielding tones an octave lower than the typical form: as, contrabass, contrafagotto, etc. See
double , In heraldry, contrary. - n. The contrary or opposite side or thing: in bookkeeping, the opposite side or column of an account; especially the right-hand or credit side (in which appear the items against the person whose books are kept).
- n. In organ-building, in the names of stops, indicating a stop whose tones are an octave below the pitch of the keys used: as, contragamba, etc.
Wiktionary
- prep. against; contrary or opposed to
- adv. to the contrary to something
- n. business a deal to swap goods or services
- n. accounting an entry that cancels another entry
- n. informal any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass
- n. contra dance
GNU Webster's 1913
- A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying
against ,contrary ,in opposition , etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf. counter, adv. & pref.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a member of the guerrilla force that opposed a left-wing government in Nicaragua
Etymologies
- Latin contrā, against; see kom in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Or would it produce an effect that was only nebulously hinted at by the term contra-attunement?”
“Most interestingly, however, they ALL have a deep and abiding believe in contra-causal free will.”
Matthew Yglesias » Ethnocentrism and Small Government Hypocrisy
“(There might have been a subsequent remark about the CIA guy's wife involving the word contra, but Billy claims that was another button man imitating him over a walkie-talkie).”
Bill Scheft: Dear Marty Fleck: How Do I Recover After Being Fired By Dick Cheney?
“The gondoliers, chanting for a fare as they stood at the foot of the bridge in contra posto poses.”
“HERE IS THE LAST PARAGRAPH: The lesson of Iran/contra is that if our system of government is to function properly, the branches of government must deal with one another honestly and cooperatively.”
“You say ‘my account’ of iran contra is ridiculous, and yet ‘my account’ was a congressional inquiry, and federal court testimonies.”
Think Progress » Bush Administration Bungled Post-9/11 Economic Relief
“The "Big Lake" is so called in contra‑distinction to the Little Lake, which lies due East from it fifty miles, and which has been described in a former chapter.”
“For it may happen that health and disease, science and ignorance, and, in short, contra - ries, may be present with every individual of the same thing; but it is impossible that they should be present with each other.”
“Both were of interest in their own way: one appeared to be primarily based on concern about the impact of any publication on the celebrity's children, and in the other OPQ, in a private hearing and notwithstanding that no one was there to present any counter-argument, Mr Justice Eady decided that he had an "inherent jurisdiction" to grant what is known as a "contra mundem" order - ie an order against the whole world, banning anyone from publishing material "wherever it is necessary and proportionate" to use it to protect an individual's rights.”
The Guardian: The spate of injunctions shows no progress in the way courts deal with celebrities
“$ {parseInt (blog_item_index) + 1}. enforcement skills.scotland. enforcement skills. enforcement skills have long and short term contra …. stockport metropolitan borough council.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘contra’.
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Prefixes
a-, ab, abs, ambi, ante, anti, aqu, aqua, arch, astro, auto, bene and 71 more...
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Verba Dilecta
delectable, notate, pauciloquy, paucity, pauciloquent, paucify, interscapilium, uropygium, inferna, nota, equipollent, prepollent and 677 more...
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ABACABB
words/names from video games
ganon, doki doki, ganondorf, toadstool, bowser, dr. robotnik, link, zelda, sonic, 1 up, kid icarus, metroid and 114 more...
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Favorite Words
crunk, ostentatious, shellac, smoot, thrice, somnambulant, nefarious, nostalgic, shenanigans, hooligans, oracle, torr and 142 more...
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dance dance revolution
interesting dances
maxixe, lambada, rhumba, samba, tango, cha cha cha, square, lundu, mambo, polka, hora, waltz and 59 more...
Tweets
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