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

One argued that a move to exclude unauthorized immigrants from certain programs involving early childhood education, health care, aid for food banks and other assistance was contrary to the law and could harm funding and access to the programs for other participants as well. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026

The material should not be provided to any person in a jurisdiction where its provision or use would be contrary to local laws, rules, or regulations. —Katie Stockton, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026

And, contrary to the expectations of people who like to sleep cool, warmer was generally better at least over the range of temperatures examined in this study (67 to 74 degrees), which were not warm enough to produce Evenepoel’s overheating problem. —Richard A. Lovett, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026

Allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. —Ubah Ali, CBS News, 18 Mar. 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