the contrary
noun
: an opposite or different fact, event, or situation
He was sure his sister had made a mistake, but the contrary was true: she was right and he was wrong.
Examples of the contrary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
McVicar and Holloway, an American who makes her Lyric debut with this performance, have no interest in the erotic Victorian combo of delicacy and determination that so interested Wilde; on the contrary, this Salome starts and ends everything low down in the body, where deeper truths reside.
—
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
This is despite my pleas to the contrary.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
On the contrary, the normal course of the disease is toward ever-accelerating deterioration and debauchery.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
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Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
This is despite my pleas to the contrary.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
On the contrary, the normal course of the disease is toward ever-accelerating deterioration and debauchery.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the contrary
Cite this Entry
“The contrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20contrary. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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