Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Opposed, as in character or purpose.
  • adjective Opposite in direction or position: synonym: opposite.
  • adjective Music Moving in the opposite direction at a fixed interval.
  • adjective Adverse; unfavorable.
  • adjective Given to recalcitrant behavior; willful or perverse.
  • noun Something that is opposite or contrary.
  • noun Either of two opposing or contrary things.
  • noun Logic A proposition related to another in such a way that if the latter is true, the former must be false, but if the latter is false, the former is not necessarily true.
  • adverb In an opposite direction or manner; counter.
  • idiom (by contraries) In opposition to what is expected.
  • idiom (on the contrary) In opposition to what has been stated or what is expected.
  • idiom (to the contrary) To the opposite effect from what has been stated or what is expected.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Opposite; opposed; at the opposite point or in an opposite direction.
  • In botany, at right angles to: as, a silique compressed contrary to the dissepiment (that is, in a direction at right angles to it, in distinction from a parallel direction).
  • Extremely unlike; the most unlike of anything within the same class: thus, hot and cold, up and down, sage and fool, heaven and hell, are contrary terms.
  • Adverse; hostile; opposing; antagonistic; opposite; conflicting.
  • Given to contradiction; acting in opposition; captious; perverse; intractable; unaccommodating.
  • Wilful, Untoward, etc. See wayward.
  • noun One of a pair of objects placed at opposite points or seen in opposite directions; an opposite.
  • noun One of a pair of characters, propositions, statements, or terms, the most different possible within the same general sphere or class. See I., 3.
  • noun A contradiction; a denial.
  • noun An adversary.
  • To oppose; contradict.
  • In a contrary way; with a contrary result.
  • In heraldry, oppositely; contrariwise: said of two bearings each of which is in some sense the reverse of the other.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A thing that is of contrary or opposite qualities.
  • noun obsolete An opponent; an enemy.
  • noun the opposite; a proposition, fact, or condition incompatible with another. See Converse, n., 1.
  • noun (Logic) See Contraries.
  • noun in opposition; on the other hand.
  • noun to an opposite purpose or intent; on the other side.
  • transitive verb obsolete To contradict or oppose; to thwart.
  • adjective Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
  • adjective Opposed; contradictory; repugnant; inconsistent.
  • adjective Given to opposition; perverse; forward; wayward.
  • adjective (Logic) Affirming the opposite; so opposed as to destroy each other.
  • adjective (Mus.) the progression of parts in opposite directions, one ascending, the other descending.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective opposed in nature
  • adjective strongly dissimilar
  • adverb Contrarily
  • noun The opposite.
  • noun One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true.
  • verb obsolete To oppose; to frustrate.
  • verb obsolete To impugn.
  • verb obsolete To contradict (someone or something).
  • verb obsolete To do the opposite of (someone or something).
  • verb obsolete To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.
  • verb obsolete To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.
  • verb obsolete To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective very opposed in nature or character or purpose

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English contrarie, also contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrarius ("opposite, opposed, contrary"), from contra ("against").

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Examples

  • 'That as to what they had been advised, viz. to enter into any treaty, contrary to the free government right, which they had obtained, and which they still enjoyed, they considered it as _contrary to God, their honor, and their safety_.'

    The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. VIII Jared Sparks 1827

  • But whether it should or not, I am desirous that these words in the introduction to the extracts, vizt., — and as it has a malicious appear - ance to insinuate to the contrary — should be changed for the following, vizt., — hut as U has heen maliciously insinu - ated to the contrary* As the bearer waits I cannot add save, that I am with much regard, d 'S',

    Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society 1792

  • On the contrary, if there were any of these compounded Bodies, in which the Nature of one Element did not prevail over the rest, but they were all equally mix'd, and a match one for the other; then one of them would not abate the Force of the other, any more than its own Force is abated by it, but they would work upon one another with equal Power, and the Operation of any one of them would not be more conspicuous than that of the rest; and this Body would be far from being like to any one of the Elements, but would be as if it had nothing _contrary_ to its

    The Improvement of Human Reason Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn Yokdhan Ibn Tufail

  • Again, the term contrary to nature does not mean "unnatural" in the sense of producing discord and confusion.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mass Music-Newman 1840-1916 1913

  • It added that diplomats also saw reports of Yemen government officials "present during these attacks," which it called "contrary to the commitments that President Saleh has made to protect the right of Yemeni citizens to gather peacefully to express their views."

    Violence marks 'Friday of Rage' across Yemen 2011

  • Any notion to the contrary is an excuse to be a relativist, vacillating, spineless coward that wants to blame their actions on anything but their conscious ability to make choices.ken. mcloud - my reference to the natural selection process and homosexuality - I was referring to the hypothetical consideration that if all humans at a given point of time, were solely homosexual, the race would cease to exist.

    On Same-Sex Couples and Catfish Derbies 2009

  • Your belief to the contrary is also shockingly false.

    Matthew Yglesias » Ungovernable America 2009

  • Any notion to the contrary is an excuse to be a relativist, vacillating, spineless coward that wants to blame their actions on anything but their conscious ability to make choices.ken. mcloud - my reference to the natural selection process and homosexuality - I was referring to the hypothetical consideration that if all humans at a given point of time, were solely homosexual, the race would cease to exist.

    On Same-Sex Couples and Catfish Derbies 2009

  • Your belief to the contrary is also shockingly false.

    Matthew Yglesias » Ungovernable America 2009

  • Apparently, Steve himself has something to do with the US software industry but still tries to involve others in a more general debate over Keynes, while Gautam on the contrary is a student in economics, with some affection for Indian problems … thus inclined to study all theories, yet who makes an effort to visualize the more concrete problems in the industry.

    Economic Education, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

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