contrary

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“
He that keeps God's commandment, shutteth not up his bowels of compassion from him, for the contrary is his commandment.

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Definitions (40)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (12)

  1. adjective Opposed, as in character or purpose: contrary opinions; acts that are contrary to our code of ethics.
  2. adjective Opposite in direction or position: Our boat took a course contrary to theirs. See Synonyms at opposite.
  3. adjective Music Moving in the opposite direction at a fixed interval: playing scales in contrary motion.
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English contrarie, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin contrārius : contrā, against; see kom in Indo-European roots + -ārius, -ary.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. from Middle English contrarie, also contraire, from Old French contraire, French contraire —Provencal contrari = Sp.Portuguese Italian contrario, from Latin contrarius, opposite, opposed, contrary, from contra, against: see contra and counter.
  2. from contrary, a.
  3. Early modern English also contrarie, contrarye, also contraire; from Middle English contrarien, from Old French contrarier, contralier, French contrarier = Provencal Spanish Portuguese contrariar = Italian contrariare, from Middle Latin contrariare, oppose, go against, from Latin contrarius, opposite: see contrary, a.
 

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/ˈkɑntrəri/
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