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
Despite rumors to the contrary, downtown Chicago is far from dead.
—
Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Claims to the contrary are false.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
On the contrary, the distillery just announced the release of Big Easy, the first batch of its barrel-proof Booker’s line of 2026.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Despite Heat contention to the contrary, the NBA last-two-minute officiating report issued Sunday from Saturday night’s game cited as correct both a late five-second inbounding violation on the Heat and as correct the lack of a similar call against the Magic.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the contrary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Claims to the contrary are false.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
On the contrary, the distillery just announced the release of Big Easy, the first batch of its barrel-proof Booker’s line of 2026.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Despite Heat contention to the contrary, the NBA last-two-minute officiating report issued Sunday from Saturday night’s game cited as correct both a late five-second inbounding violation on the Heat and as correct the lack of a similar call against the Magic.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 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 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
