1
as in contradictory
being as different as possible
the other jurors seemed sure the defendant was guilty, but I came to the contrary conclusion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mischievous
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
a contrary child who wouldn't behave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the contrary soldier is facing a court-martial for insubordination
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in opposite
something that is as different as possible from something else
the admonition that we should not return hate with hate, but rather with its contrary—love
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contrary
Ellen Whitlock Baker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Each makes its contrary unreal, even absurd.
—Roy Scranton
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Raja Shehadeh, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2023
And, it hadn’t been endorsed by big companies such as Pfizer, despite the company's claims to the contrary.
—Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 23 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for contrary
Adjective
Some will feel comfortable stating contrary opinions in front of the rest of the team; some won’t.
—Ellen Whitlock Baker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Each makes its contrary unreal, even absurd.
—Roy Scranton
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Soldiers, to the contrary, have regularly stood by as settlers engage in wanton violence against Palestinians.
—Raja Shehadeh, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2023
And, it hadn’t been endorsed by big companies such as Pfizer, despite the company's claims to the contrary.
—Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 23 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for contrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrary
Adjective
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The challenge of evaluating Beauvoir is that both her life and her work were extraordinary in ways that are deeply, bafflingly contradictory.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
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At least a half-dozen people described an emotional seesaw they were put through by weeks of contradictory UPS tracking updates about their shipments.—
Kayla Steinberg,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The 55-year-old leads a mighty ensemble cast currently performing at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre until November, with Life of Pi‘s Hiran Abeysekera embodying our protagonist with a mischievous sense of frenzy through Robert Hastie’s sharp, contemporary take on the classic.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Oct. 2025
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Cats are notoriously mischievous—but there's a reason so many people have them anyway, and one man summed it up in a viral TikTok video.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There's just something so irresistible about the lace-up flat with its air of rebellious discipline.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Singer Kelis has always been rebellious and non-conforming.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The show is one of the major initiatives from Sam Feist, the longtime CNN executive who once oversaw a highly successful series, Crossfire, that, by its very title, sounds like the polar opposite.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile research has shown that warmer conditions delay leaf fall in oak and beech, whereas other studies find the opposite is true in birch and poplar.—
Humberto Basilio,
Scientific American,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The naughty list People walk past the Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on November 29, 2024 in New York City.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
6 Oct. 2025
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Clementine’s is also known for its naughty (boozy) and nice (booze-free) flavors.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Since Gaddafi was removed from power and killed by rebel forces in 2011, Libya has found itself in turmoil — and its domestic football has mirrored its politics.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Less than a year after Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali became a Nobel laureate in 2019, a brutal conflict erupted in Tigray, a northern regional state in Ethiopia, between Ethiopian federal military forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a rebel group.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The rapid escalation of trade tensions sank US stocks on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recorded their worst day since April.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
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Investors are eyeing a stock market rebound after Friday’s trade war flare-up sent the S&P 500 to its worst loss since April.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Erivo will voice Jayne Staplegun, a trailblazing fairy whose defiant streak sparks a rebellion.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
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What unites these screen works, beyond their focus on LGBTQ individuals, themes and audiences, is their defiant messaging, according to NewFest’s director of programming, Nick McCarthy.—
Elaina Patton,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrary. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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