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contrary.

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

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/UK/kənˈtɹɛəɹi/UK/ˈkɒntɹi/UK/ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/US
  1. Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.

    contrary winds
  2. Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.

  3. Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

    a contrary disposition; a contrary child
Where this word comes from

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

adv/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/UK/kənˈtɹɛəɹi/UK/ˈkɒntɹi/UK/ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/US
  1. Contrarily

Where this word comes from

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

noun/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/UK/kənˈtɹɛəɹi/UK/ˈkɒntɹi/UK/ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/US
  1. The opposite.

  2. One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.

  3. A type of loaded die.

    historical
Where this word comes from

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

verb/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/UK/kənˈtɹɛəɹi/UK/ˈkɒntɹi/UK/ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/US
  1. To oppose; to frustrate.

    obsolete
  2. To impugn.

    obsolete
  3. To contradict (someone or something).

    obsolete
  4. To do the opposite of (someone or something).

    obsolete
  5. To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.

    obsolete
  6. To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.

    obsolete
  7. To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

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

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.