au contraire

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French au contraire.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əʊ ˈkɒntɹɛː(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /oʊ ˌkɔnˈtɹɛ(ə)ɹ/, /oʊ ˌkɑnˈtɹɛ(ə)ɹ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (less common, nonstandard) IPA^(key): /ɔ-/

Adverb

au contraire (not comparable)

1. (usually humorous, emphatic) On the contrary.
   • 1856, Isabella L. Bird, The Englishwoman in America‎^[2]:

     Travellers have written and spoken so much of the beauty of this celebrated piece of water, that I expected to be disappointed; but, au contraire, I am almost inclined to write a rhapsody myself.

   • 1997, Mike Myers, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (motion picture):

     Fembots: (one by one) You can't resist us, Mr. Powers. / Austin Powers: Au contraire, baby. I think that you can't resist me.

   • 2005 August 20, Polly Vernon, “Celebrity etiquette”, in The Observer‎^[3], →ISSN:

     The A-list cannot be loved by all the people all of the time. Au contraire, the bigger and better and more gorgeous one gets, the more likely one is to inspire antipathy.

Usage notes

Now often used for more humorous, ironic, or dramatic effect than on the contrary.

Translations

on the contrary — see also on the contrary

• Bulgarian: напротив (bg) (naprotiv)
• Czech: právě naopak
• Dutch: integendeel (nl)
• Estonian: hoopis vastupidi, vastupidi
• Finnish: vaan (fi), päinvastoin (fi)
• French: au contraire (fr)
• German: im Gegenteil, au contraire (de)
• Greek: τουναντίον (el) (tounantíon), αντίθετα (el) (antítheta)
• Haitian Creole: okontrè
• Hebrew: להיפך
• Hindi: उल्टे (ulṭe)
• Icelandic: þvert á móti, á hinn bóginn, hins vegar
• Italian: al contrario
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: berevajî (ku), tersî (ku), dijraberî (ku)

• Latin: sed contra
• Occitan: au contra, au contrari, al revèrs
• Polish: przeciwnie (pl)
• Portuguese: ao contrário, pelo contrário
• Russian: наоборо́т (ru) (naoborót)
• Spanish: en contrario, por el contrario, en contra, al contrario
• Swedish: tvärtom (sv)
• Tagalog: bagkus (tl)
• Ukrainian: навпаки (uk) (navpaky)
• Walloon: e l' plaece (wa), el plaece (wa), estô (wa)

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /o kɔ̃.tʁɛːʁ/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /o kõ.tʁaɛ̯ʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

Adverb

au contraire

1. on the contrary, quite the contrary, quite the opposite; au contraire

Usage notes

May be reinforced by bien or tout, i.e., bien au contraire or tout au contraire

Related terms

• au contraire de