contrary

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛəɹi (some pronunciations)

Adjective

contrary (comparative more contrary, superlative most contrary)

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

   contrary winds

   • Bible, Leviticus xxvi. 21

     And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me […]

   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     We have lost our labour; they are gone a contrary way.

2. Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.

   What may be "politically correct" could be contrary to the teachings of Jesus.

   • (Can we date this quote by Whewell and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be contrary to the sacred Scripture.

3. Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

   a contrary disposition; a contrary child

Derived terms

Derived terms

• contrarian
• contrarily

• contrariwise
• contrary to

Translations

Opposite of wind

• Bulgarian: насрещен (bg) (nasrešten)
• Finnish: vastainen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: tūmū

opposed in nature

• Bulgarian: обратен (bg) (obraten), противоположен (bg) (protivopoložen)
• Esperanto: malakorda
• Finnish: vastakkainen (fi), päinvastainen (fi)
• Irish: contrártha
• Italian: contrario (it), opposto (it)
• Japanese: 逆の (ja) (gyaku no), 反する (han suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kannada: ಮಾರು (kn) (māru)
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: tukipoho, kōrori
• Persian: مخالف (fa) (moxâlef), جدکاره (fa) (jodkâre)
• Romanian: contrar (ro) m or n, opus (ro) m or n
• Spanish: contrario (es)

strongly dissimilar

• Romanian: contrar (ro)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Adverb

contrary (comparative more contrary, superlative most contrary)

1. Contrarily

Noun

contrary (plural contraries)

1. The opposite.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     No contraries hold more antipathy / Than I and such a knave.

2. (logic) One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, , though they may both be false.
   • (Can we date this quote by I. Watts and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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.

Synonyms

• witherward

Derived terms

• by contraries
• on the contrary
• to the contrary

Related terms

• (logic): subcontrary
• contrarian

Translations

the opposite

• Bulgarian: обратно (bg) (obratno)
• French: contraire (fr) m, contrepied (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Galician: aveso m, contrario (gl) m

Verb

contrary (third-person singular simple present contrar, present participle ies, simple past and past participle contraried)

1. (obsolete) To oppose; to frustrate.
   • (Can we date this quote by Bishop Latimer and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I was advised not to contrary the king.

   • Template:RQ:Florio Montaigne Essayes
2. (obsolete) To impugn.
3. (obsolete) To contradict (someone or something).
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “lxxvij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book X:
     :

     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 knyghthode I knewe not sir Tristram

   • Template:RQ:Florio Montaigne Essayes
4. (obsolete) To do the opposite of (someone or something).
5. (obsolete) To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.
6. (obsolete) To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.
7. (obsolete) To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

Translations

frustrating

• Maori: tukipoho (of the wind)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Related terms

• contra
• counter

References

• “contrary”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “contrary”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “contrary”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “contrary”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.