contrary to

preposition

: in conflict with : despite

Contrary to orders, he set out alone.

Examples of contrary to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My guess is that the anchor-outs, or at least some of them, see real estate agents’ commodification of the land as a betrayal of the values of California’s earlier inhabitants and contrary to their whole ethos. — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026

All roads lead to larp—but contrary to older generations, that’s nothing new. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026

Prosecutors have argued that the Clancy case is not a referendum on maternal mental health, contrary to how it's been seen by some members of the public. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

And contrary to popular belief, not all of last year’s big premieres fell flat at the Lido. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for contrary to

• hullabaloo
• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup