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
On the contrary, there’s a kind of sincerity to his reverence for beauty, for the erotic as art.
—
arkansasonline.com, 10 July 2025
Davis: On the contrary, the One Big Beautiful Bill does exactly what voters like me elected Trump to do: provide tax relief and strong border enforcement.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
On the contrary, Van Epps said she’s never used ChatGPT and has no interest in learning about it anytime soon.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Britt Tiered Maxi Dress On the contrary, this sleeveless summer dress is the perfect warm weather staple that’ll get you through the next few months of sky-high (literally) temperatures.
—Shalwah Evans, People.com, 7 July 2025
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.
arkansasonline.com, 10 July 2025
Davis: On the contrary, the One Big Beautiful Bill does exactly what voters like me elected Trump to do: provide tax relief and strong border enforcement.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
On the contrary, Van Epps said she’s never used ChatGPT and has no interest in learning about it anytime soon.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Britt Tiered Maxi Dress On the contrary, this sleeveless summer dress is the perfect warm weather staple that’ll get you through the next few months of sky-high (literally) temperatures.
—Shalwah Evans, People.com, 7 July 2025
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 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share