contrary

Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.

Adjective

  1. Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
    • contrary winds
    • And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me[…] - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 26:21:
    • We have lost our labour; they are gone a contrary way. - c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio),...
  2. Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.
    • Galileo [Galilei]'s zeal for his opinions soon led him again to bring the question under the notice of the Pope, and the result was a declaration of the Inquisition that the doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be...
  3. Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.
    • a contrary disposition; a contrary child

Origin

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

Forms

more contrary most contrary

Synonyms

against the grain at cross purposes contradictory contrariant contrarious contrary counter cross disagreeable opposed opposing refractory

Antonyms

cooperative synergistic unopposed

Hyponyms

cheeky hostile opposite

Related

obstinate

Derived

canon by contrary motion contrarian contrarily contrariness contrarious contrariwise contrary to

Adverb

  1. Contrarily
    • I never act contrary to my principles.

Forms

more contrary most contrary

Noun

  1. The opposite.
    • No contraries hold more antipathy Than I and such a knave. - c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
  2. One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.
    • If two universals differ in quality, they are contraries; as, every vine is a tree; no vine is a tree. These can never be both true together; but they may be both false. - 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of...
  3. A type of loaded die.

Forms

contraries

Synonyms

witherward

Related

subcontrary contrarian

Derived

by contraries on the contrary quite the contrary to the contrary

Verb

  1. To oppose; to frustrate.
    • You that be of the court, & eſpecially ye ſworn chaplains beware of a leſſon that a great man taught me at my firſt coming to the court he told me for a good will, he thoughte it wel. He ſayd vnto me. You muſt beware...
    • The Athenians having left the enemie in their owne land, for to pass into Sicilie, had very ill successe, and were much contraried by fortune[…]. - 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 47, in John Florio, transl., The...
  2. To impugn.
  3. To contradict (someone or something).
    • thus wilfully sir Palomydes dyd bataille with yow & as for hym sir I was not gretely aferd but I dred fore laūcelot that knew yow not Madame said Palomydes ye maye saye what so ye wyll I maye not contrary yow but by my...
    • I finde them everie one in his turne to have reason, although they contrary one another. - 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for...
  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.

Forms

contraries contrarying contraried

Related

contra counter