counterintuitive

adjective

coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive | \ ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈtü-ə-tiv ,

-ˈtyü- \

Definition of counterintuitive

: contrary to what one would intuitively expect As counterintuitive as it may seem, the universe has no center, and it has no boundary. —Jim Bell

Other Words from counterintuitive More Example Sentences Learn More about counterintuitive

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of counterintuitive in a Sentence

It may seem counterintuitive, but we do burn calories when we are sleeping.

Recent Examples on the Web

The finding that extra carbon dioxide can make crops less nutritious may sound counterintuitive. — New York Times, "How More Carbon Dioxide Can Make Food Less Nutritious," 23 May 2018 While the idea of battling to be the most easy-going player sounds a little counterintuitive to us, people who have reviewed the game, love it. — Lindsey Murray, Good Housekeeping, "There Is Now a Bob Ross Board Game That You Absolutely Need," 2 Oct. 2017 But as cord-cutting becomes more popular, a counterintuitive trend is emerging: higher streaming TV prices and bundling, this time among Internet streaming services. — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, "Cord cutter déjà vu: Streaming channels are looking more like those hated cable TV bundles," 12 July 2018 Thinking across disciplines and making counterintuitive leaps keep the mind alive. — Bob Morris, Town & Country, "How College Courses on Happiness and Humiliation Because the Hottest Trend on Campus," 10 July 2018 Though completely counterintuitive, theory and evidence show that taxes on imports act just like a tax on exports. — Greg Ip, WSJ, "U.S. Exporters Will Be a Surprise Loser From Tariff Fight," 9 July 2018 This is somewhat understandable because the idea that intelligent life is extremely rare in the universe feels completely counterintuitive. — Liv Boeree, Vox, "Why haven’t we found aliens yet?," 3 July 2018 Many of the legal and regulatory changes that Brill excoriates have counterintuitive beginnings. — New York Times, "America Has Gone Off the Rails. Steven Brill Sees Ways to Get It Back on Track.," 2 July 2018 Neither outcome is an ideal situation, and the latter can feel counterintuitive. — Madeline Buxton, refinery29.com, "Facebook Wants To Stop Revenge Porn Before It Begins, But The Process Is Tricky," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'counterintuitive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.