as in violation
a failure to uphold the requirements of law, duty, or obligation
a clandestine weapons program that was a contravention of the international arms agreement
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Recent Examples of contravention
But they can’t be imposed capriciously, in fits of pique or in direct contravention of our laws.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
As has become familiar in the U.K. in recent years, this latest change to the immigration system to prevent further arrivals is quite likely in direct contravention of the U.K.’s international refugee and human rights obligations.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2025
This was in contravention to a U.S. government moratorium on such research at the time.
—Cory Franklin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
During peace talks presided over by three U.S. administrations, Israelis and Palestinians argued about which of the settlements—all of which were built in contravention of international law—would stay and which would go.
—Omar M. Dajani, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for contravention
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
As has become familiar in the U.K. in recent years, this latest change to the immigration system to prevent further arrivals is quite likely in direct contravention of the U.K.’s international refugee and human rights obligations.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2025
This was in contravention to a U.S. government moratorium on such research at the time.
—Cory Franklin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
During peace talks presided over by three U.S. administrations, Israelis and Palestinians argued about which of the settlements—all of which were built in contravention of international law—would stay and which would go.
—Omar M. Dajani, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for contravention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contravention
Noun
-
No violations of Polish airspace were reported.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Portland sent a notice to the building’s private owners last week, saying ICE has committed code violations by boarding up windows and keeping some detainees in the holding facility for longer than 12 hours.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These measures include content filtering; checks for infringement across streaming and social platforms; penalty systems for repeat infringers; chain-of-custody certification and name-and-likeness verification.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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As Hollywood producers increasingly turn to AI tools to help develop stories, characters and franchises, the creative community needs new training to understand how to protect themselves from copyright infringement claims.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contravention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contravention. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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